


Unspoken Deception

by blackrose_17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Ianto is Draco, M/M, Mention of Future Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-01
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2018-01-17 20:37:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1401655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose_17/pseuds/blackrose_17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once the war was over Draco Malfoy ran and never looked back. He became someone new; he became Ianto Jones and for a brief moment he found true happiness, until it was all cruelly snatched away from him. Now a broken mess, a mere shadow of his former self, he must pick up the pieces of his life and start anew. Hopefully he will find true happiness with the one person he never expected to fall for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by: Royalladyemma  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Harry Potter  
> Written for the Journey Big Bang and Art by: nickygabriel

**Chapter 1**

 

_8 years earlier_

It was all over, the war, the horror, the death – it was over and the side of good had won. Harry Potter had won.

 

Draco Malfoy knew that despite his actions in the final battle, he was still going to be considered a Death Eater and as a result, he would more than likely receive a Dementor’s Kiss. In truth however, Draco found that he really didn’t care what happened to him anymore.

 

He was lost and broken and to make matters worse, no one cared, not even his so-called friends noticed the state he was in.

 

“Draco.” A most unexpected voice called his name.

 

Draco turned to look at Neville Longbottom, fully expecting to be insulted or worse; he wasn’t expecting to hear anything nice from the young man he’d known for nearly a decade.

 

Neville smiled shyly at Draco before uttering the most shocking words: “Thank you.”

 

Like many people present in the Great Hall his first night at Hogwarts, Draco had scoffed and laughed when the Sorting Hat placed Neville in the Gryffindor house, but the young man had erased all doubts regarding his belonging there when he had wielded the sword of Gryffindor and cut off the head of Voldemort’s beloved snake.

 

Draco couldn’t understand why on earth Neville would be thanking him for anything; as students, he’d gone out of his way to make the quiet Gryffindor’s life miserable. “What are you thanking me for?” Draco somehow managed to keep the sneer out of his voice, he didn’t want any pity.

 

Neville merely smiled at him. “For having the strength to stand up and help Harry; that took real courage.” The young wizard’s smile deepened, becoming introspective as he remembered Dumbledore saying something similar to him at the end of his first year at Hogwarts.

 

Struck by the sincerity of Neville’s words, Draco felt his lips twitch into a brief smile. “I do believe that you are the only one to thank me for any help. In their eyes I am still a Death Eater and a traitor.” His eyes clouded as he said, “I have no place among any of you.” Draco knew that to be the cold, hard truth; he was a traitor to both sides of the war and there would be no place for him in the wizarding world for a very long time. _‘If ever,’_ he silently added.

 

“But this is your home, Draco, could you really leave it?” Neville asked softly as he stared at his fellow classmate, wondering if this new Draco could become a friend.

 

Draco looked away from Neville’s knowing gaze wondering how his fellow student had known what he was up to. “I really don’t have much of a choice. Not only am I a traitor to the cause but I’m also the son of two infamous Death Eaters, one of whom just happened to be Voldemort’s most loyal follower.” He shook his head with sad resolution, his blonde hair falling over his eyes before he roughly brushed it back. “I have no place here, Neville, not with everyone’s wounds still too fresh and new. Who knows, maybe in time that will change.”

 

Neville knew that Draco had a point; there were so many others who had lost loved ones in the battle who would not be so forgiving of those who served or who were related to _anyone_ loyal to Voldemort. That association was a walking death sentence for them. “I see your point and while we haven’t been friends I hope that will change.”

 

Startled by Neville’s words, Draco looked at him like he had never seen him before and indeed, he no longer saw the shy, scared Gryffindor and instead, he saw the warrior Neville Longbottom had truly become. “You know I always thought myself better than everyone else because I was a pure blood – well, I was raised to believe that way – and I’ve never given anyone I found beneath me any time unless it was to bully them. I realise now that I was wrong to act that way.” Hesitantly, he held out his hand to Neville. “I would like to be friends with you.”

 

Neville had never seen Draco look so vulnerable before in his life and he smiled a soft but true smile at his new friend as he shook Draco’s hand firmly. “I would like that very much and I would be honoured to call you friend.”

 

Draco smiled a true smile, something he had rarely done before. The warmth of Neville’s hand in his felt strangely right, and it seemed to spread up his arm and to his chest.

 

“You can have two new friends if you would like.” A new voice piped up.

 

Both men turned to see a smiling Luna standing behind them, and Neville favoured the blonde with a small smile. Despite the cuts and bruises on her face and hands, and the dirt and twigs staining her skin and clothes, to Neville, Luna was still one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on. More than that, she was one of his dearest friends for keeping his secret. “Well that’s settled then, Draco, you now have two good friends.”

 

Draco found himself at a loss for words at the unexpected friendship being offered by two of the known outcasts of Hogwarts. _‘But that’s_ _no longer true,’_ he thought to himself. _‘They,_ _especially Neville,_ _are_ _heroes of the war,_ _it’s me_ _who’s_ _now the outcast.’_ Forcing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he smiled warmly. “I like the sound of that.”

 

And that was how Draco Malfoy found the most unlikely friends in Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

 

*******

It took a while for Draco to formulate a plan but when he felt that he had a sound plan in place there was only one thing left to do: tell his mother he was leaving.

 

Narcissa Malfoy waited for her son to come to her, knowing that he would speak to her when the time was right. She knew that her son was leaving, just as she knew he really had no choice in the matter. He had no future here in the wizarding world, not as the son as a known Death Eater. She also knew that she wouldn’t, couldn’t go with him; she was far too old and set in her ways to be able to live the life of a muggle, but in her heart she truly believed that her precious dragon was still young enough that he could adapt.

 

“Come in, Draco, I’ve always taught you that it is rude to linger in doorways,” Narcissa called out as she sensed her son just lingering outside the library, no doubt trying to work up the courage to approach her with his plan.

 

Resting his head against the still closed library doors Draco took a shuddering breath; he should have known that his mother would have known he was outside trying to build up the courage to come in. Taking a deep calming breath Draco forced himself to open the door and step into the library and for just a moment he stood there watching his mother sitting in her chair a book in her hands, but her eyes on him.

 

“Have you finally come to tell me your plan, Draco?” Narcissa asked as she saved her place in her book before closing it and putting it down in order to give her son all her attention.

 

Draco could only stare at his mother in shock. “You know?” he found himself blurting out. “How…?”

 

Narcissa smiled gently at her son as she climbed stiffly to her feet and moved towards her seemly frozen son and gently stroked his hair. “I’m your mother, of course I know. You’re not happy here and in truth you’re not safe here. It doesn’t matter that I lied to you now about Potter’s death; it still doesn’t mean we are trusted and let’s face it, everyone knows about your rivalry with Potter,” Narcissa pointed out.

 

Draco cringed at his mother’s words; his hatred of Harry was legendary and that was yet another strike against him. After all Potter was now the saviour of the wizarding world while he was just the Slytherin who picked on him and made his and his friend’s life miserable. “I can’t stay here, not in the wizarding world, not now, not when the wounds were still too fresh,” Draco admitted softly.

 

Narcissa smiled sadly at her son, it was breaking her heart to let him go but she knew it was the only way he might find just a little bit of happiness. “I know, it would only end up destroying you. I hope you know that you can always call on me, you are my son, Draco, and I love you more than anything on this earth.”

 

Draco forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat. “I know, mother, and I will. I may be starting over but I will always be your son.”

 

"I know. You are the most important thing in my life, the one thing I will never regret and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are happy." Narcissa's pressed a kiss onto her son's forehead, "Come, we have some planning to do."

 

Draco didn't want to leave his mother when she was in pain but in his heart he knew that he didn't belong here in the wizarding world and he needed a fresh start.

 

******

 

It took nearly a year for Draco Malfoy to disappear and for Ianto Jones to be born. The only ones to know that Draco and the muggle Ianto were the same person were his mother, Neville and Luna. The two had kept their word and had become friends to Draco, for the first time in his life Draco had true friends and it felt nice.

 

Narcissa was straightening out Draco’s, no _Ianto's,_ red jumper, trying not to let her fingers tremble. She hardly recognized her baby any more, his blond nearly white hair was now dark-brown and instead of the grey eyes he’d been born with, they were now a lovely shade of blue. Ianto had even chosen to become Welsh and while it had taken a few months of dedicated study and practice, he now had the lilting accent and he could speak the difficult language fluidly.

 

"Now, you take good care of yourself, make sure to look after yourself properly and try and find some sort of peace," Narcissa murmured as she fought back her tears, it was going to be painful letting her baby go not knowing what lay ahead for him or when she might see him again.

 

"I'll be okay, mum. I'll keep in touch, I promise, no matter how much I've changed you’re still my mum and I will always love you." Draco, no, now Ianto whispered softly as he hugged his mother tightly.

 

"Don't worry we'll keep a close eye on your mum," Neville promised Draco as he and Luna stood off to the side allowing Draco and Narcissa to have a private moment.

 

Narcissa never thought she would see the day when her son would have be friends with two people who had once been considered outcasts at Hogwarts and who were now famous war heroes. She was simply thankful that Draco had at least two true friends.

 

"Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me," Draco was happy that his mother wasn't going to be alone, "and I want the two of you to keep in touch as well. I don't want to lose your friendship either." Draco had been surprised how much he had come to rely on Luna and Neville and even more so now.

 

Luna smiled at Draco and moved to hug him, what she had to say was for his ears only. In a soft whisper she confided, "Do not despair, though you will find love and lose it she will not be your true soul mate, but she will lead you to him. Just remember to trust your heart and to trust him as well, he was meant for you as you were for him."

 

As Luna pulled away Draco could only stare at her with fondness, wondering just what she knew that he didn't; there was no doubt about it, Luna Lovegood was not all she appeared to be. "I will. Take good care of Neville for me."

 

The sadness in Luna's eyes did not escape Draco's gaze as she glanced at Neville. "Heartbreak is in his future, the heart of the one he truly loves is torn. It will not be easy for him but there is hope, for he will find the one who truly is meant for him will find him and soon, but not until after you are forced to deal with your own pain," Luna whispered in a soft voice.

 

Draco felt protective rage filling him; he had been surprised and shocked to find out from Neville that he was in love with Harry and that Harry returned his feelings but was also in love with Ginny. Draco hadn't liked how Neville had become Harry's dirty little secret on the side and he hoped that Neville would find the courage to leave Harry and find someone who would not keep him hidden in the shadows.

 

On the other hand, Draco wasn't sure how Harry felt about Neville. Neville had respected Draco's wishes and had kept their friendship a secret from Harry, but it was clear that Harry truly loved Ginny and he feared where that would leave his tender-hearted friend. "Keep a close eye on Neville and let me know the moment it happens, I owe it to him to be there for him."

 

Luna smiled brightly and pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek. "You are a good man, Draco Malfoy and I know that Ianto Jones is meant for wonderful things. But please, never lose who you are or forget that we will always be here for you, even when it seems the darkest."

 

"I will remember," Draco promised as he released Luna and moved towards Neville.

 

Neville grinned as he moved towards Draco. "Well you’re really doing this! I hope you find your happiness that you've been looking for. You certainly deserve it!" Neville decided to chance it and pulled Draco into his own hug.

 

For a moment Draco stiffened, not used to getting this kind of physical affection but it felt nice and despite himself he found himself returning Neville's embrace. "I'm trusting you to look after them and scare off any suitors for Luna that you find unworthy of her." Draco had come to see Luna as a little sister and since she tended to see only the good in almost everyone her judgement wasn't always the best.

 

Neville’s grin became one of pure mischief. "No problem; being one of the heroes of the wizarding world has its perks and no one dares to cross me. After I proved myself by standing up to you-know-who, no one is foolish enough to hurt someone I care about," Neville reassured him.

 

Draco wondered why Neville couldn't see that he needed to look after himself as well. _'I really hope you are right, Luna, I'm not the only one who deserves some kind of happiness.'_ Still Draco forced a smirk onto his face. "Sure, Mr Big Bad Hero, you keep telling yourself that you’re that scary when we know the truth, that you’re still a big softy at heart!" Draco teased his friend, something that he hadn't done before.

 

Oh sure, he’d teased Neville and the others when he had been a bully but that was always cruel and meant to hurt and humiliate. The former tormenter decided that he liked the person he was becoming, someone who truly cared about others. He was actually proud that he was someone others wanted as a friend; he just hoped that he could find someone to love him for him.

 

******

For the first year of his new life as a muggle Ianto drifted from place to place, experiencing as much of the normality of muggle world as he could without drawing attention to himself. At first he lived off the money his mother had given him until he was sure that he could make it as a muggle and then, whenever he needed cash he worked odd jobs here and there until one fateful day he found work as a barista.

 

He’d spent the better part of the day wandering through London’s Science Museum – it was free, which was its first attraction, but then he’d been amazed by all the advances muggles had achieved without the benefit of magic. Still marvelling at what he’d seen, Ianto had strolled right by the ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window, doing a comical double-take before turning around and entering the small café. As he waited patiently in line, he studied the set-up behind the counter, watching closely as the barista performed an elegant ballet of economical movements to produce nearly a dozen different drinks for waiting patrons.

 

Although he’d discovered early on in his muggle life that he truly enjoyed a well-made cup Ianto had no real experience in coffee making when he had applied to a few coffee shops before so it came as no surprise when he’d failed to get a callback. Now, however, he had less than thirty pounds left in his pocket, so he committed the woman’s actions to memory.

 

As it turned out, the woman he’d been studying was the café’s owner, Carys Williams, and her only employee had quit that morning “to follow her favourite band as it went on its first world tour”. Carys had taken a real shine to Ianto when he’d politely introduced himself, and his lilting Welsh accent only endeared him to her. “I was born and raised in Cardiff, near what was once Tiger Bay,” she told him as he filled out his application. “It’s nice to hear the sounds of home again.” Carys looked around; the shop was experiencing a late afternoon lull in business, so she made a quick decision.

 

“Get back there and show me what you can do while I read through this, yeah?” She used his application to shoo him behind the bar and then she peered over the paper occasionally while he set about the brewing process. Carys had been aware of Ianto’s scrutiny while he’d been in line and she had to admit to being impressed by how quickly he’d learned the craft.

 

Counting himself beyond lucky, Ianto wasted no time in putting to use what he’d memorised and within a short time, he’d made his first ‘professional’ cup of coffee, which included a clever little design in the foam on top. Carefully, he delivered it to Carys’ table and then waited with fingers crossed as she took her first sip. The moan of almost obscene pleasure that escaped his future boss' lips made him blush, and needless to say, he was hired on the spot. Ianto Jones it seemed possessed a natural talent of making coffee.

 

Ianto was happy in his simple life, or at least he was until the moment _it_ happened. As a wizard Ianto had seen some amazing things in his life but nothing could have prepared him for something like Cantelina. Never had he seen such a breath-taking, heart-stopping sight; he was truly a beauty not meant for this world.

 

Early in his days as a muggle, Ianto had been quick to learn that there was something in his magic which allowed him to see alien races no matter how they disguised themselves as human. He’d lived his entire life in the presence of other magical creatures, including elves, dragons, giants and so many more, but they were all born on Earth. So learning that they weren't alone in the universe, that life existed on other planets, hadn't been that much of a surprise to Ianto. After all he was a wizard and had see things that most muggles would deem impossible but which to Ianto seemed perfectly normal. As far as he was concerned, muggles were far too closed-minded for their own good.

 

As he gazed upon the ethereal beauty of the creature before him, Ianto Jones came to a wonderful realisation: for the first time in his life he was in love. Truly, deeply, head-over-heels in love.

 

It was actually Cantelina’s race that first inspired people’s belief in what angels looked like; with his pure white angel wings, long golden-blond hair and piercing blue eyes, humans thought he had been sent to them from heaven. His race, the Ederoi, were empathic and it didn’t take long before Ianto began wondering what such a beautiful soul was doing with someone as tainted as himself.

 

For as long as he lived, Ianto would never forget how wonderful it felt when Cantelina cupped his face with his hands and told him, "There is nothing tainted about you, Ianto; you have a pure soul and heart and I am honoured that you chose to share them with me. I love you, Ianto Jones and I always will."

 

Ianto truly loved Cantelina and had from the very moment their eyes first met; the beautiful alien had been a light in his dark world. However like all good things in Ianto’s life, he should have known that his brief happiness would not last; despite his young age, Ianto was quickly learning that happiness was just not meant for him.

 

Something Ianto learned at the same time he discovered that there were aliens on Earth was that the overwhelming majority of other-worldly creatures feared and loathed an organisation called Torchwood. After discrete inquiries Ianto found out that not only was Torchwood outside the government, above the police and that they answered only to Her Majesty, Queen Elisabeth.

 

Ianto also learned that Torchwood’s director, Yvonne Hartman, was dangerously, perhaps _insanely_ dedicated to the belief that ‘If it’s alien, it’s ours’. She had no compunctions about capturing and dissecting – rumour had it that vivisection was common practice – poor aliens who just wanted to live a quiet, unassuming life on Earth.

 

They should have known that they wouldn't be able to keep out of Torchwood One's sight for long.

 

Armed with this knowledge, Ianto and Cantelina were always extremely careful to make sure that Cantelina’s secret was never discovered, but somewhere somehow they had messed up and discovered the presence of the angelic-looking alien.

 

They had been together for almost three months, three very happy months where they were with one another constantly, including some of the most loving and erotic nights Ianto had ever experience. As a surprise, Ianto had treated Cantelina to a night on the town, including dinner and dancing; looking back later, all Ianto could think was that they’d let their guard down because on their way home that night they were attacked by silent, powerfully-built men who appeared out of nowhere.

 

During the hours and days of interrogation and torture that followed, Cantelina lied non-stop to Yvonne and her goons, telling them over and over again that he had manipulated Ianto into believing that he loved him. The alien swore that he’d used Ianto for his own purposes, to help him learn about life on Earth, to help him hide from Torchwood, and that nothing Ianto had done was of his own volition. In the end, Cantelina saved Ianto's life at the cost of his own. Ianto was never the same after that, he closed off his heart and didn't want to love anyone again, it was just too painful.

 

In an odd twist of fate, Yvonne had been impressed with Ianto Jones, with the way he’d handled himself during his interrogation, with the matter-of-fact way that he accepted the presence of alien life on Earth, and with the way he’d stood up to her when she’d questioned his life-style choices. Within a few short hours, Ianto found himself indoctrinated into Torchwood, complete with passcodes, swipe card and desk in the Archives division.

 

One bright spot in Ianto’s new life was meeting a beautiful dark-skinned woman who giggled softly at his clumsy attempt to invite her to coffee. Lisa Hallett had been a surprise; while he had never been picky about who he fell for his tastes usually veered towards his own gender, and after Cantelina Ianto hadn't wanted to love anyone ever again. But Lisa was different and for the first time in his life Draco Malfoy, now Ianto Jones, was happy and he never wanted it to end.

 

Four months after their first meeting, Ianto gazed down fondly at the woman not only sharing his bed but also his life. “How did I get so lucky to have you in my life? Because I sure as hell don’t deserve you but I don’t think I could give you up,” he admitted as he stroked her arm.

 

Caressing the side of his face, Lisa smiled up at him, “Because you’re you, it’s as simple as that.”

 

Ianto shook his head. “No, it has to be more than that; I wasn’t a good person in my old life.”

 

Lisa sat up in bed and cupped Ianto’s face with her hands as she looked him in the eyes, “Yes you were, Ianto,” she said firmly. “You may not have seen it but I do. Despite what you think there was always good in you; otherwise you wouldn’t be the man you are today. And you wouldn’t be the man I’ve fallen in love with.”

 

In hindsight, Ianto would find himself readily admitting that he should have known his happiness wouldn't last. After all, it hadn't with Cantelina and there was no reason that it would be any different with Lisa.

 

******

Torchwood One fell in blood and fire and once again Ianto ones lost friends and colleagues to forces he couldn’t control. He was so very tired of death and destruction following him around like a scorned lover, taking and destroying everything good in his life.

 

So when he found Lisa half-converted, writhing in pain, begging him to help her, and screaming for release, Ianto didn't think twice. In an instant he used his magic for the first time in his muggle life to help her the best he could, to sooth her pain the best he could as he moved her. He vowed to himself that he would save her or die trying, never once wondering after it was all said and done, if it was truly his beautifulLisa or just his enemy using her face and memories to fool him. He would never know.

 

Through sheer force of will, Ianto Jones managed to get into Torchwood Cardiff where he found himself doing things that as Draco Malfoy he would never had been able to lower himself to do. Without saying a world, he took care of and cleaned up after those who were supposed to be his teammates; looking back, he should have known that he would never truly be one of them. He was the invisible shadow and that was exactly how he liked it; after all, he just needed to stay at Torchwood Three long enough to save and fix Lisa. In order to do that he needed to figure out which alien devices worked the best with his magic because he couldn't heal her on his own and besides, Torchwood had done this to her and Torchwood would fix her.

 

What Ianto hadn't counted on was Captain Jack Harkness, the flirty leader of Torchwood Three and a gorgeous example of manhood who made his pulse race in ways Lisa never had. In fact, only Cantelina had ever made him this way, but Jack was nothing like Cantelina and Ianto refused to disgrace his love's memory by comparing the two of them. From the first moment he met Jack, Ianto vowed that he would never let their flirting be anything more than a means to an end and lo and behold, his plan worked.

 

Of course, it helped that Jack only saw his handsome young archivist when he wanted to flirt with him and since he did that with _everyone,_ Ianto knew that he was nothing special to Jack. So no matter what Jack said or did, Ianto firmly ignored the little voice in the back on his head that said Jack was so much more and that was why it hurt so deeply to be nothing to Jack. Still he had Lisa and that was all that mattered to him, or at least that was what he kept telling himself. But no matter what he did or said, he could not fool the one person who really saw him.

 

Lisa was no fool. She could see that Ianto was hurting, that the others saw him as nothing but a butler, nothing but a shadow moving through the Hub and the situation made her angry on Ianto's behalf. How they could miss seeing what an amazing man Ianto was, was simply beyond her comprehension and their ignorance only made them all the more fools in her eyes. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t one damned one of them who deserved someone as intelligent, thoughtless and dedicated as Ianto Jones. She also felt increasingly guilty; she was the only reason Ianto had taken such a demeaning job.

 

As she watched him program her pain medication into the glucose and saline feeds that helped keep her alive, Lisa pleaded with him yet again, “Ianto, please, if you love me you’ll let me go.” During those times when it was truly her in control and not the Cyberman trying to trick Ianto, she did her very best to end the situation they’d found themselves in. Human Lisa refused to let the cyber components that were slowly taking over her body use Ianto as a pawn but she just wasn't that strong anymore.

 

Unfortunately, the times when she had enough control to try and convince Ianto to end her suffering were becoming fewer and farther between. She knew the time was quickly approaching when Lisa Hallett would cease to exist and there would be nothing but a monster left inside her metal skin.

 

Ianto's stubbornness was one of the things she loved most about him. She still remembered the time they’d gone camping on the Cornish coast; it had unexpectedly started pouring with rain, the temperature had dropped so they’d zipped their sleeping bags together for warmth, and when they’d awoken in the morning, they’d discovered a stray dog pissing on the outside of their tent. On the drive home, their streak of ‘luck’ had continued and they’d gotten a flat tire out in the middle of nowhere. Stubbornly refusing to call for roadside assistance Ianto had insisted that he could change the tire himself, and true to his word he had, although it had taken almost three hours.

 

Unfortunately, there were times when that stubbornness was blinding him to the truth, times like right now.

 

Ianto shook his head and gently stroked Lisa's cheek, “If I have to damn my soul in order to save you then so be it.” He had no idea how true that would turn out to be or how high of a price he would have to pay in his attempts to save Lisa.

 

The end truly began when Suzie killed herself and Gwen Cooper was hired to fill the sudden vacancy. For the longest time Ianto would continue to blame himself for not seeing how dark and evil the glove was or the way that it slowly corrupted Suzie until it twisted her into its puppet and made her a murderer. He knew dark magic as well any other member of the wizarding world; he had lived with it most of his life and yet somehow the glove completely escaped his attention. He had been too focused on healing Lisa to notice the insidious darkness seeping its way into Suzie's soul until it was too late to do anything to save her. Still, given how close the four original members of the team were, he thought that at least someone would have noticed.

 

Less than three weeks into his tenure with Torchwood Three, Ianto knew the moment Owen and Suzie started shagging, but in his mind this was nothing like the affair between Harry and Neville; there was real love between Harry and Neville. What Owen and Suzie shared was nothing but not wanting to be lonely, and despite its casual intent, it was only going to lead someone to heart break.

 

Unfortunately, Ianto was sad to say that that person was more than likely going to be Tosh. He knew his shy teammate had a thing for the grouchy doctor and despite the fact that he and Tosh never spoke more than a few words at a time, Ianto really did care about her and her feelings. He knew that when she realised the truth about Owen and Suzie she was going to be crushed.

 

When Owen and Suzie officially became something like a couple it shocked Jack and Tosh and Ianto could see that it broke Tosh’s heart just like Ianto thought it would. He personally could never understand what Tosh saw in Owen; he would never see her as anything but a friend and occasionally as a doormat. Ianto wished that Tosh would move on and find someone who would truly love her like she deserved to be loved.

 

In the end, the happiness she found with Owen was still not enough to save Suzie from the power of the glove. Despite the fact they weren't close Ianto did care about Suzie and he blamed himself for not feeling the evil pouring off of the glove, but at the time all his focus was on helping Lisa and making sure that the others never found her.

 

Once again, Ianto should have been prepared for the very worst because in his life everything falls apart it; he should have known that the worst possible scenario would come to pass because history had shown that everything good in his life usually came to an ugly end.

 

Ianto’s dream of helping Lisa and living happily ever after with her ended in blood and tears as Lisa was lost to the Cyberman programming and began threatening the lives of not only the Torchwood Three team but the world and all Ianto could think of was how he had once again failed someone he loved.  


Never in his life had Jack felt such anger, betrayal and yes, even though he would never say it out loud, jealousy as he did staring at Ianto Jones with a gun just inches from his face. Part of Jack wanted to shoot the man who’d lied his way onto his team but the other part of him wanted to ask “why” and “how” and “did you mean any of the things you said while you were in my bed?” Instead, he growled, “You hid yourself from us!”His voice was gruff and laced with rage but underneath it was a distinct current of intense sadness; he’d thought that he and Ianto had something special between them, something that could have grown into a lifetime together.

If he could have, Ianto would have laughed at Jack’s words; it was one of the most ridiculous things he’d ever heard the man say. Jack was certainly one to talk about secrets; after all he was keeping a pretty big one from the others. _'All of them except his precious Gwen, that is.'_

 

Ianto felt his own rage, indignation and fear for Lisa take over. His face twisted into an ugly parody of its normal placid mask as he snarled, "When's the last time any one of you asked me anything? When was the last time any of you said thank you or please? Never, that’s when! No, I clean up your shit and that's the way you like it. No questions asked, just orders and insults shouted."

 

Ianto had endured months of loneliness, bitterness and silence as he’d worked tirelessly in plain sight of his so-called teammates only to be blatantly ignored unless they wanted something from him. The roiling emotions that had been festering within him at being summarily dismissed only grew as he watched as Gwen was accepted into the fold while he was kept on the side line, all because of where he had worked before

 

Ianto had seen enough of this kind of passive-aggressive hate before; his own father, Lucius, had been an expert at ripping people to shreds with his withering glare and razor-sharp tongue. That type of intense snobbery and caste-based discrimination was one of the main reasons why he’d left the wizarding world after all.

 

Without warning and without Ianto even being away that it was happening, something within the quite Welshman snapped and he was once again Draco Malfoy, the Prince of Slytherin.

 

Ianto sneered at them, his eyes flashing and his words sharp, "You all pretend that you're better than Torchwood One and Yvonne, when the truth is you’re just as big of monsters as she was. You each judged me and then immediately commended me the moment you found out I worked for One. Never once did any of you try and hide your beliefs that Torchwood One got what they had coming to them, that every single person who worked there was an evil, heartless monster.”

 

“Yeah, well, if the shoe fits…” Owen snarked but his words went completely unnoticed by Ianto.

 

“Not one of you wanted to even think that there were good people working, that not everyone was heartless, that so many of them just wanted to do good. You may have broken all ties with Torchwood One to prove just how much better you are, but you proved yourselves just as cynical, self-serving and contemptuous when it fell by making sure you were the first ones on site. You thought scavenging the ruins for whatever was left was all that mattered so you completely and deliberately ignored the agonising pain and suffering of the survivors.”

 

It didn’t escape Ianto’s notice that while Owen merely snorted derisively, Toshiko suddenly turned white with shock and then red with embarrassment as she muttered, “How do you know what we did?”

 

“Tell me oh mighty Captain Jack Harkness, if you're so big on being better than Yvonne Hartman, tell me just what exactly did you do to ease the suffering of the survivors? Besides taking in poor, pathetic little Ianto Jones," Ianto asked in a snarl; sarcasm dripped from every word. “Did you provide medical treatment for their injuries? Did you offer them psychological counseling for the trauma of being at the very centre of a battle between two alien species intent on world domination and destruction? Did you even attempt to Retcon any of them so they wouldn’t have to listen to the sounds of their friends screaming and dying in their heads forever?”

 

Jack had never seen so much pure hate directed at him by anyone and that only made him the angrier. _‘Just_ _who_ _the_ _hell_ _is_ _Ianto Jones to judge_ _me?’_ _He_ was the one who’d kept a Cyberman hidden in his base and _he_ was the one who’d unleashed it on them. In some ways, Ianto was worse than One; at least most of them had been ignorant of the possible outcome of their actions. Ianto, on the other hand, knew exactly what his Cyber-girlfriend was capable of and did nothing to prevent her from taking action.

 

Drawing himself up to his full height, Jack looked down his nose at Ianto; "Right, because you're the one to preach about how kind and caring Torchwood One was when you hid that thing in my base. What were you planning, Ianto? Were you going to finish what Yvonne started? Were you some kind of secret back-up plan in case One failed to destroy the human race? Is that what that monster in my vaults was, insurance that Cybermen would rule the world?” Jack wanted to get a rise out of Ianto so he added a leering grin to the next sentence. “I'll admit the metal bikini was a nice touch."

 

Even though he saw the punch coming the force of the blow still sent him reeling back several feet and if it hadn’t been for Tosh and Owen’s support, he might have landed on his shapely arse. Jack felt his jaw tingling and he reached up to touch it gingerly; Ianto had held nothing back.

 

Ianto glared at Jack his eyes burning with the deepest hatred he’d ever felt towards another living being; truth was, he hadn't bother to stop himself from putting a little of his magic into his hit. _'Won't it be a surprise when Jack finds he's not healing as fast as he normally would,’_ he couldn’t resist a wee bit of gloating."Don't you _dare_ talk about Lisa like that! She was one of the good ones! Do you want to know how I came to join Torchwood in the first place? It's not like any of you ever cared enough to ask before, so why don't I just tell you. I was in love with a wonderful man only he wasn't a human man, he was an Ederoi, his name was Cantelina and Torchwood One killed him. They tortured him for days, doing everything they could to destroy him mind, body and soul, and then when they were through having fun, they murdered him in cold blood simply because he was alien."

 

The small room went silent as the team could only stare at Ianto in horror (Tosh), sympathy (Gwen), disbelief (Owen) and understanding (Jack). Things were much worse than they’d previously thought and there was an immediate realisation that they were all guilty of not taking the time to talk to Ianto, to get to know him. From the moment he’d walked through the front door it was simply understood that he was Torchwood One and that was all they needed to know: he was _not_ one of them.

 

With a character trait they were quickly learning was normal for Gwen, their newest member bluntly asked, "If they killed your lover then why did you stay with Torchwood? Didn't it seem wrong to work for them given that they’d just killed someone you claimed to love?"

 

Ianto stiffened and his icy glare burned holes into Gwen until it forced her to start shifting uncomfortably as the rage burned even brighter in his blue eyes. His voice was carefully controlled as he spoke, “The man I loved died lying through his teeth for the sole purpose of saving my life, knowing the whole time that there was no guarantee he would be successful in keeping me from suffering the same fate that awaited him. Cantelina claimed that he was a powerful psychic and that from almost the moment we’d met I had been completely under his mind control. His story never changed, but Yvonne was smart and she didn't fully believe his story, so I was _encouraged_ shall we say,to join Torchwood One so they could keep an eye on me.

 

“I consider myself very fortunate that Lisa Hallett was assigned as my handler, because she treated me like a human being as so did many of the others; I had lost my world and they worked selflessly to help me find a new one. Then, despite warnings from her own employees that she was ignoring the dangers of playing with the unknown, Yvonne released hell on earth. Her blind insistence on and insane determination to restore the British Empire to its former glory resulted in the war between the Daleks and the Cybermen.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye Ianto noticed the way Jack flinched as if in pain at the word Dalek and in the back of his mind he tucked away a question for later. He then looked at each person in the room, one by one, before continuing. ”I watched as everyone I cared was savagely destroyed, my world burned to ashes around me. Do any of you have any idea what that is like? To lose everyone you've ever cared for in one swift moment and worse, to be helpless to stop any of it from happening?" Ianto demanded harshly.

 

Those last few words broke through Ianto’s stoic mask of anger, his voice letting loose the soul-deep pain he was carrying not only for Torchwood One but also for the war he had been forced to fight in when he was younger. "I have lost _everything_ and you all stand here and condemn people you didn't even know.” He paused and drew in a deep breath, again looking at each member of Torchwood Three; it didn’t escape his notice that not one of them could look him in the eye. “You know what? I take it back; you lot are worse than Yvonne could have ever been." In that moment of crystal clarity, Ianto knew he was done with Torchwood; he couldn't take the pain anymore, this was worse than anything the wizarding world could do to him.

 

Still, he owed it to Lisa… to the memory of Lisa to give her the ending she had begged him for so many times.

 

Jack noticed the distinct change in Ianto the moment it happened; the rage and anger fell away and a cold and hard mask claimed his face. Jack felt an icy chill crawl down his spine; the look was one that he'd seen many times on the battlefield on the faces of soldiers who had decided they had nothing left to lose.

 

Ianto straightened his shoulders, stiffened his spine and stared directly at Jack. "I shall do my duty and take care of the threat that is Lisa Hallett. I will not allow you to gun her down like a dog in the street; she deserves better than that." That was the only thing he said before he turned on his heels and walked towards the stairs that led down to the vaults. He had already decided that he would use his magic to give Lisa a simple and peaceful death, something in his heart he knew he should have done a long time ago. Now all he had to do was buy himself enough time to say good-bye and perform the spell before the rest of the team followed him downstairs.

 

“Ianto!” The word was out of Jack’s mouth before he could stop himself.

 

Ianto turned and looked at Jack, his face as expressionless as he could make it.

 

Jack stared hard at Ianto and while he could see the devastation in Ianto’s eyes, he also saw the firm determination there and he knew that Ianto would do what he needed to. “You have two minutes, no more and no less; if you don’t do your job and it isn’t dead by the time we get there, then not only will we end that thing but you as well,” Jack growled out, the promise in his voice unmistakeable.

 

Ianto felt a cruel smirk twist at his lips; had anyone from the wizarding world been present they would have known immediately that Ianto Jones, the pushover Tea-Boy was no more and in his place, Draco Malfoy, the prince of Slytherin had made his return. “Oh trust me, Harkness; I could end you all before any of you could even reach for your gun,” Ianto purred and his eyes began flashing dangerously as his tight hold on his magic slowly began to unravel. He was no longer going to be walked all over; it was time for him to start fighting back.

 

Struck by the sudden chill in the air as much as by the sense of unlimited potential that cracked through the air, Jack shivered and out of the corner of his eye he could see Tosh, Owen and Gwen do the same and step closer together as waves of raw power rolled off of Ianto and over them. As his grip tightened on his gun, Jack abruptly realised that not only was he finally seeing the real Ianto but that Ianto was far more dangerous than he originally appeared to be. The immortal couldn’t help but wonder what else they had missed about Ianto. _‘If anyone has a reason for hating Torchwood it’s Ianto and yet here he is still fighting and keeping Cardiff safe.’_ Still Jack knew better than to let Ianto see that he was getting to him. "I'd like to see you try."

 

Ianto's eyes flashed with near-blinding ice-blue sparks. "Trust me” he sneered. “I've taken on bigger and scarier than you four and defeated them with ease. The only one of you that could prove any challenge at all is you, Jack, and maybe Tosh, but I know you, Toshiko, and you can't kill unless what you’re facing is a danger and I am proving to be a danger."

 

"Hey! Don't you dare take me or Owen lightly!” Gwen tried not to screech but her words were still overly loud. “Jack trained me personally and I’m much more of a threat than you could ever be!” She was tired of being over-looked by Ianto Jones; she was no longer a simple copper, she was a Torchwood Agent and Jack’s second-in-command and by god, she was due respect.

 

Ianto snorted out a derisive laugh. “Oh please, you call that grope session a shooting lesson? Something was close to being released but it wasn’t your skill with a gun,” Ianto mocked. “That little bit of CCTV footage has become one of Owen’s favourite wank videos.”

 

“OI!” Owen bellowed as Gwen spun around and punched the medic as hard as she could.

 

Everyone could only blink in shock at Ianto; this was not the Ianto they had gotten to know, but then again there was clearly just so much they truly did not know about the quiet young archivist and this could just be how he truly was.

 

Ianto's eyes narrowed even further as he felt the tingling, comforting presence of his wand tucked away safely in the sleeve of his suit. With a well-practiced move he slipped it down into his hand, then gave a flick of his wrist while the familiar spell fell from his lips and Ianto managed to freeze his teammates instantly. With them out of his way he could deal with Lisa properly. He would be able to say good-bye and give her a quick, merciful and painless death; it was what he owed her after all.

 

The young wizard was wracked with guilt; he had been so sure he would be able to save her that he never once thought she might have been right, that she couldn't hold back the programming. He understood now that she knew what was coming and that she wanted death before the implants could turn her into a killing machine and to his eternal shame, Ianto had failed her.

 

Now however, he’d been given a second chance. Ianto would do what was right and then he was done with the Muggle world; it brought him nothing but heartbreak.

 

Jack could only watch helplessly from within the binding spell that Ianto had put them under as his mysterious employee turned on his heels and stalked into the depths of the Hub. It seemed like a thousand different thoughts were running through Jack's mind, all fighting for attention, but the one way out in front of the pack was that Ianto Jones was a wizard.

 

 _‘What else_ _have_ _I missed when it_ _comes to Ianto Jones?’_

 

******

As he walked across the Hub’s floor toward the stairs down to the vaults, Ianto could hear Myfanwy rustling around up in her nest and he was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief to know that she was alright. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive Jack for setting her on the Cyberwoman, she could have been badly hurt. Murmuring a soft spell under his breath he locked down the Hub from the rest of the world, either he would leave or neither one of them would ever walk out of the Hub.

 

"Ianto."

 

Ianto stilled completely as Lisa's mechanical voice sounded from the stairs, but as he stared at her he suddenly felt his heart crack as he realised that he was looking at _his_ Lisa. "Lisa, I am so sorry, please forgive me," he pleaded his voice cracking.

 

A small smile appeared on Lisa's lips and for just a moment love replaced the pain that was always in her eyes. "There is nothing for me to forgive Ianto, but you must forgive yourself. You must also promise me that you will continue to live your life and find love again." Lisa loved him with all her heart and she didn't want to leave this world until she knew that Ianto would be okay.

 

Ianto didn't want to make that promise; love was not for him, not as Draco Malfoy or Ianto Jones, but he couldn't deny the giving Lisa last thing she would ever want from him. "I'll do my best… for you, Lisa."

 

A single tear rolled down Lisa's cheek as she smiled back weakly at Ianto. "I will always love you whether you are Ianto Jones or Draco Malfoy, never forget that." Closing her eyes against the look of devastation she could see in his eyes, she pleaded, "Please, Ianto, please end this before I lose my control over this monster living inside of me."

 

It was the hardest thing Ianto ever had to do as he whispered the forbidden spell that would end Lisa’s life forever. He forced himself to watch as the killing curse hit her directly in her heart and in less than a heartbeat, it was over; Lisa Hallett was finally at rest. Ianto forced his tears back; before he could lose himself to grief he knew he needed to dispose of the Cyberwoman, and so, burying his emotions as deeply as he could Ianto carried the body of his girlfriend down to the incinerator. Then, as a solitary mourner, he stood watch as the shell of the Cyberwoman burned; a single tear his only showing of the grief that was slowly ripping his soul apart.

 

Ianto knew he couldn't stay at Torchwood any longer, death clung to Torchwood and to everything and everyone associated with it like a shadow just waiting for the moment when it could swallow him whole. Ianto had no more reason to stay within easy reach of death's waiting embrace, not now. A bitter laugh escaped Ianto's lips as he realised that Jack had been correct when he’d said he had hidden himself from them.

 

' _Truth is, Jack, you have no idea how right you were. Everyone has secrets, I just happen to have a few more than most people.'_

 

As he slowly entered the main Hub and sank down into the closest chair, Myfanwy's worried call was the only thing to stop Ianto from sinking into his depressing thoughts. Ianto blinked as he realised that he had been so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed when Myfanwy had landed on the ground until she gently nudged her beak against his shoulder. "I can't stay here, my sweet girl, but I can't leave you here either. What do you say, beautiful, do you want to come with me?" There was no way Ianto could entrust Myfanwy to a man who had used her as a weapon of death; after all he was the only one who had ever looked after her properly and he was the only one she had responded to nicely.

 

A happy chirp came from Myfanwy and Ianto had to smile at her as she peered at him with her head cocked to one side. At least he wouldn't be alone, not with Myfanwy with him. "Well come on then, old girl; there is still a little work to do before we can leave Torchwood behind for good. I’ll give you a treat when we’re all done, how does that sound?" The pteranodon clacked her beak loudly and gave a grumbling purr deep in her throat; she knew what the word ‘treat’ meant.

 

Ianto did his best to ignore the pain in his heart that he might never see Jack Harkness again, but he had to convince himself that it was for the best. There was just too much unpleasantness between them now for it ever to work out. A single tear rolled down Ianto’s cheek as he came to his decision. Leaving Torchwood and the muggle world was the best – the _only_ – option for him.

 

Even if it didn’t feel like it was a coward’s way out, he still couldn’t stay where Lisa’s memory was everywhere.

 

Or worse, where everything reminded him of what might have been with Jack.

 

Despite the fact that every inch of his body hurt and his head was beginning to ache, Ianto forced himself to get up from his seat and move. He would have given anything to curl up with Myfanwy in her aerie, let the growing numbness take his body and just give into the endless darkness that was calling him. But Ianto couldn’t do that, it wouldn’t be what Lisa wanted and it would hurt those few who cared about him too greatly. Ianto sighed deeply; he was just so tired of hurting people.

 

Closing his eyes Ianto slowly massaged his temples trying to ward off the growing headache. Before he could do anything about to returning to the wizarding world he needed to make a plan to deal with Jack’s choice.

 

Ianto Jones had learned one very important fact on his fist day of indoctrination into Yvonne Hartman’s world: there were only two ways out of Torchwood: death or Retcon. He refused to let Jack or any other member of his team kill him and he’d be damned if he’d allow Jack to steal his memories of Lisa from him. Memories of her were all he had left. So he devised a third option; he would leave the muggles behind and return to a world where they could never touch him. The more he thought about it, the more Ianto knew he was making the right choice, just as he knew that his mother, godfather, Neville and Luna would help him.

 

 _'It isn’t fair!’_ he silently raged. _‘The first true good things in my life, the first people to ever truly love me, were ripped cruel away from me. First Cantelina, my love and my world, there were days I wished I had died as well. Then I met Lisa and she breathed new life into me, only it wasn't to last. My world turned to ash the day the Cybermen came to our world.'_ In his heart, Ianto could see that everything he had fought for, everything he had done to save Lisa was for nothing; in the end he had failed her, just as he failed Cantelina.

_‘Nothing matters in any more, not with her gone. Maybe I should just return to the wizarding world and face my punishment and accept the Dementor’s Kiss; it would be less painful than living in a world without Lisa and Cantelina.'_ Ianto was utterly broken in heart, mind, body and soul. In just over fifteen months, Torchwood had done something that the wizarding world failed to do in 21 years; they had broken the once prideful prince of Slytherin. For the first time since he lost both his loves, Ianto mourned for everything and everyone that had been taken from him.

*****

Neville knew something was wrong the moment that Luna ended up in his apartment with a haunted look in her eyes.

 

"What's wrong? What's happened?" Neville asked placing his hands on her shoulders.

 

Luna shook her head. "He's finally been broken, Neville; he's going to need us." She didn't need to say who; there was only one person she could be talking about.

 

 _'Draco, something has happened to Draco!'_ Neville felt worry filling him. "I'll be ready in a few moments. I just need to know Luna, how bad is it?"

 

Luna looked utterly shattered as she informed him, "He would welcome the Dementor’s Kiss, he thinks he has earned it."

 

Neville paled and nearly collapsed. _'What could have happened to have broken his friend so badly?'_

“What he did, he did because he was blinded by love. He loves more deeply than even he realises he is capable of and he will always fight against the hopeless and the impossible but this time it has broken him completely,” Luna whispered softly to Neville.

 

“Well then it’s a good thing he has us to help him get through this pain,” Neville reassured Luna, he could see that she was hurting just as much as Draco was no doubt feeling.

 

******

Jack was utterly torn. He knew what he should do and that was follow Torchwood’s protocols and either kill Ianto Jones or Retcon him. Yet something within his heart stopped him from choosing either option.

 

Jack wasn't sure how long he and the others remained locked in the freezing spell Ianto had left them under, although Jack did have to give Ianto credit for freezing them around the lift’s paving stone, which meant they were invisible to everyone passing by on the Plass. He knew that they wouldn’t be free to move until Ianto was finished with whatever he was doing down below them. However, being frozen wasn’t all that bad; it gave Jack some precious quiet time to think about how he and the others had treated Ianto from the moment he’d started.

 

To his shame, Jack realised that the younger man was right; he couldn’t deny that they had never taken the time to include him in any of their activities, not in a team night out at their local or even a simple game of basketball in the Hub. As one they had cast Ianto aside as if he were nothing more than a slave and to make matters worse, during those odd moments when they did interact with in Ianto, never once had he or Owen masked their hatred of and total contempt for Torchwood One and by extension, Ianto Jones.

 

 _‘It’s no wonder Ianto felt like he couldn’t trust us with the truth,’_ Jack thought mournfully, _‘and now it might be too late to make things right.’_

There was simply no denying the fact that Ianto did indeed betray them, but in a way they betrayed him first. They had taken advantage of Ianto’s amazing skills, including coffee-making, organisation and anticipating their every need, without once acknowledging the man behind them with so much as a nod. He did so much for them – essential tasks as well as thoughtful gestures – and not one of them had ever offered him the slightest bit of thank you.

 

Learning the truth about how Ianto came to join Torchwood One had had a sobering effect on Jack; like him, Ianto hadn't joined willingly and after everything Yvonne and her minions had taken from him Ianto should have hated them more than anyone else but he still defended them. If he could have moved, Jack would have hung his head in his hands; he didn't know what to do anymore. He knew that sooner or later he was going to have to go and see Ianto; they needed to talk and there were decisions to be made. Now he just needed to work up the courage to do it.

 

 _'What is it about Ianto Jones that makes me feel so confused and upside down all the time? No one, not even the Doctor or Rose, has ever able to mess me up so badly. I really don't want Ianto to leave, but can I trust him again and more importantly can Ianto trust me? There's no denying that Ianto hurt m... us, but we hurt him just as badly.'_ Jack wanted to run a hand through his hair but as hard as he tried he just could not move a single muscle and that just aggravated him even more. How could one 21st century man make him a tangled mess of knots inside; _‘it just isn't fair!’_

 

Jack knew the moment the spell wore off; the almost imperceptible electrical buzz suddenly ceased to tickle his mind. This wasn’t the first time he had encountered wizards so he was quite aware that they had gotten off lucky; Ianto could have done a lot worse to them if he’d been so inclined. In fact, given how angry he was with the entire team, Jack was actually a little surprised at how lenient Ianto had been. So when Jack felt his fingers beginning to tingle so he knew it was only a matter of minutes before they were free.

 

Once he was able to move Jack was off like a shot tearing down into the Hub, paying no attention to Gwen who was calling after him to wait for her. All he cared about was stopping loss of the best thing that might have happened to him. By the time Jack and the others got through the cog door and came to a skidding halt in the middle of the Hub’s main floor, there was no sign of Ianto, Myfanwy or the Cyberwoman who was once Lisa Hallett. Jack felt his legs give out as he realised that Ianto was gone and they had no way of tracking him down.

 

It was Tosh’s gentle voice that pulled Jack back from the brink of despair. “Jack, there’s a note left here for you.” She placed a comforting hand on Jack’s shoulder, she hated to interrupt Jack, he looked stricken with loss. She was sad too, but she wasn’t nearly as close to Ianto as Jack was, if it could be said that any of them were really close to Ianto, and she knew that he would be the one to take Ianto’s unexpected disappearance very hard. Tosh shared a look with Owen as Jack accepted with shaky hands the letter she had found on her desk; there was no doubt in her mind that it was from Ianto.

 

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, almost dreaded reading what Ianto had to say; still he forced himself to open the envelope and pull out the neatly written letter. It took two false starts before he could read it aloud without his voice cracking with emotion.

 

_By the time you read this I will be long gone. I would say that I won’t miss you all but that would be a lie. From the moment I joined Torchwood Three you all made it crystal clear that I was not wanted nor would I ever truly be a member of your team, yet I still came to care about you all, if you knew anything about my past – if you had ever lowered yourselves enough to ask – you would know that that is a very big deal._

 

 _I do not regret what I did to save Lisa. You were wrong Jack; my Lisa was still in there, fighting to survive until her very last breath. You don’t know how many times she begged me for death, pleaded with me to release her from the pain and fear of what was happening to her, but I couldn’t grant that wish for her, not until tonight._ I _Ironically in the end, it was Lisa herself who finally made me realise that my Lisa was truly lost to me. With her help I did what I needed to do; I finally found the strength to end her suffering._

_Tonight was the last night you will ever see me, so I guess I can share a few truths with you all._

 

_You were right Jack, I did lie to you, so many lies but I guess the first place to start is my name. I’m not Ianto Jones, no; I was born Draco Malfoy._

_My second secret, well my father was not a master tailor; no he was a Death Eater._

_Oh yeah and I’m a wizard although you might have guessed that one by now._

_Now before you start with all that magic is not real nonsense, I am telling you now it is very real. Magic is everywhere. I am a wizard. The only reason I am telling you this all is because even with this knowledge there is no way you will ever find me._

_Before Lisa, all my past loves have been of the male gender. Gender has never mattered to me, no who I fall for is what is on the inside; I always seem to fall for those as broken inside as me._

_Except for Lisa, oh she was a breath of fresh air for my poor broken heart. Untouched by the darkness that exists in both the muggle and wizard world, she was my light._

_And I made her suffer. In my stupid attempts to save her and maybe even myself, I made her suffer for months in agonizing pain. I wish I could have been stronger and let her go, but I was afraid to lose the one thing that was keeping me sane._

_Now with Lisa gone and my future in Torchwood cloudy, I can’t help but wonder if it is time to leave behind the muggle world and return to the wizard world._

_Because in truth there is nothing keeping me here anymore. What I am supposed to stay here for, a team that barely knows I am alive unless they want something like a file or cup of coffee or should I stay for a leader who only sees me as a convenient warm body?_

_No, there is nothing left here for me._

_I think it is time for Ianto Jones to disappear into the night and for Draco to return to the wizarding world I left behind._

_I am taking Myfanwy with me because to be honest I don’t trust any of you to take care of her. None of you can even throw out your garbage and I’m supposed to trust you all to look after her? I’m not taking that chance._

_So since this is the last time I will ever see any of you, I guess it’s time to tell you all what I truly think._

_Owen, you are a bastard in every sense of the word; you deliberately made my life miserable, you took so much joy in making every day a living hell. You treated me like dirt and never hid that you didn’t like me, and strangely enough, I actually respect that about you. You may be a jerk but I hope you find someone who will make you act more human._

_Gwen, you are the complete opposite of Owen. With your insincere smiles and sickeningly sweet comments, you tried to act like my friend but only when you needed me to do your paperwork or fetch your dry cleaning or clean up your messes. You claim that you are the heart of Torchwood, the one thing that makes it human, but trust me when I tell you that you sure as hell didn’t live up to that ideal. You made it perfectly clear at every opportunity that you saw Toshiko and I as beneath you._

 

_You know, for someone who loves to rub in the fact that she’s in a committed relationship you sure do make cow-eyes at other men – namely your boss – when you think no one is looking. You seem to believe that you are someone special because you work for Torchwood, well let me be the first to tell you Gwen that you’re not. Oh, and a little word of warning, you and Rhys aren’t going to last, not with your ridiculous desire to sleep with Jack or the blatant lies you will soon be telling to cover up your affairs._

 

_You want to be Torchwood? Well soon you will be; you’ll be just as cold and lonely as the rest of us in no time, that is if you survive that long. Your belief that your way of thinking is always the right one and the way you constantly question orders at the worst possible time is going to get someone killed, either you, one of the others or an innocent._

_Tosh, I think you and I could have been friends. You remind me of my first real friend, he was shy and quiet but in the end he turned out to be one of the biggest heroes it has ever been my honour to meet and I see that in you Tosh. You are an amazing woman and deserve to find your one true love. I know you have your eye on someone but he is most definitely not worth it and I hope you find someone who will love and worship you like you deserve._

_Jack, I think out of everyone I will miss you the most. I think we might have gone beyond our casual arrangement and become so much more. Which leads to my third biggest secret and it is tied to the one moment that I wish I’d made another choice. I’m talking about the moment we all have, the moment we will always wonder what would have happened if we made a different choice._

_My moment is the day I left the wizarding world behind and joined Torchwood._

_I know for certain that several things would never have taken place. Meaning I would have never met Cantelina or Lisa,_

_Or you, Jack,_

_And the moment that thought passes through my mind, it shatters my already broken heart even more._

_I will never regret loving Lisa or Cantelina. What I will regret is how deeply I hurt you. I was told by a good friend that I would meet the one I was destined to be with but it would be a time of great suffering and heartbreak for me. Lisa is and will always be the only woman I will ever love and I was so sure that Cantelina would be the only man I would ever love. But I was wrong. I think if things had been different I would have learned to love you Jack, but I guess we will never know._

 

_I hope someday we will be able to work past this betrayal but as we will not see each other again, I doubt that will ever happen._

_Ianto Jones._

Jack felt his heart stop beating for a moment, he never knew why he was so attracted to Ianto; from the moment they’d met he had been drawn to Ianto like a moth to a flame. Unfortunately he feared that if he let Ianto in he just might be willing to give up waiting for the Doctor and he couldn't let that happen so despite his attraction, he had kept Ianto at a distance. Now he might have lost his chance at ever having Ianto Jones or Draco Malfoy as he's truly known.

 

_'I'm so sorry Ianto, I hope someday when this pain has healed and the anger, pain and betrayal we are both feeling at this moment has faded we can meet up again and explore what could have been between the two of us.'_

 

******

Narcissa knew that her boy was utterly broken the moment he appeared in her home. "Oh my poor boy what has happened to you?" she asked as she moved to hug him.

 

Ianto went willingly into his mother's arms, sinking into her warmth and letting his mask fall away to become the little lost boy that only she knew existed. "I should have never left here, being hated and an outcast would have been so much better than this pain." But even as Ianto said those words he knew they weren't true; he would never regret loving Cantelina or Lisa or knowing Jack.

 

******

Sliding his hand wearily across his face, Jack winced as his fingers brushed across the cut on his lip that had been left from Ianto's punch, curiously it still hadn't healed. "What else are you keeping from me Ianto? And will I ever get the chance to learn the real you or are things far too damaged between us?" Jack knew that it wasn't fair to want to know everything there was to know about Ianto and while keeping himself a complete mystery but before he could reveal his true self he needed to know that he could trust Ianto and then maybe, just maybe if he let Ianto in just a little they could start fresh. But for now he would have to settle for letting Ianto go until the pain healed for the both of them.

 

"We will meet again, Ianto Jones, this I promise you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Two years later_

 

Narcissa watched as Draco laughed freely and joyfully as Myfanwy swooped in around the small group of people, diving gracefully to snatch up the chunks of premium dark chocolate from Honeydukes that her beloved human tossed into the air for her. As always Neville and Luna were ever next to him, but no longer where those two Draco's only friends, in the two years since Draco had returned to them a broken but wiser man, he had healed and grown into a much different and happier young man. While he chose to stay looking like Ianto Jones, and despite the pain he’d suffered in the muggle world, Narcissa could tell that he was much happier as Ianto then he had ever been as Draco.

 

Within the safety of his friendship with Neville and Luna Draco had rediscovered his friendship with Blaise and then through him he became friends with Seamus. Charlie, Fred and George Weasley had grown close to Draco due in great part to Luna's relationship with Charlie and Fred's relationship with Andy Davidson. Andy was one of only ones that Draco knew from his days as Ianto, and hadn't he been surprised when he learned that Andy had been a Hufflepuff and was currently dating Fred.

 

Narcissa caught sight of her cousin standing amongst the group watching Myfanwy and she favoured Sirius with a small smile. She was happy that Draco had such a strong male influence in his life; since her son’s return, her relationship with Sirius had improved greatly and for the first time in a while Narcissa felt like she had her family back, something which warmed her heart to no end. Sirius and Severus had even put aside their rivalry, due in part to the combined and determined efforts of both Draco and Remus.

 

Neville smiled as he watched Myfanwy swoop carefully above a pregnant Ginny Potter, and he laughed when the pteranodon’s mighty wings blew Ginny’s hair into her face. He was pleased when the familiar pain didn't pierce his chest at the knowledge that Harry had chosen Ginny over him, despite their past together. He could still recall the moment Harry had broken his heart; Draco had only returned to the wizarding world two months before and helping him recover from his ordeal had taken all of Neville's attention. He knew that he had been drifting away from his lover for a while, so he wasn't at all surprised when Harry showed up at his place with the news that broke his heart.

 

_“I love you Neville, I truly do, but not like I love Ginny, when faced with the idea of a future without her it nearly killed me.” Harry poured his heart out to Neville, he never wanted to hurt Neville but he couldn't hurt Ginny either._

_Never in his life had Neville experienced this type of pain before, being told by the man he loved that he had fallen in love with another. The pain from realising that they were over was nearly unbearable, yet somehow Neville found the strength to smile at Harry despite his heart breaking. “I understand Harry, and it’s alright. All I want is for you to be happy and if that is with Ginny, then I give you my full blessings.” And he truly did mean it, he couldn’t hate Harry, he never would; they had meant too much to one another and had survived far too much for there to ever be bad blood between them._

_After Harry had gone, leaving Neville's heart in pieces, Neville turned to the one person he needed, the one person who could truly understand what he was feeling._

_“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Ianto grumbled as he was forced to leave his nice warm bed and dreams that involved a naked Jack to go answer the door at four in the morning._

_Ianto opened the door and was greeted to a sight he never expected, “Neville?” he asked with worry as he took in his friend’s puffy red eyes._

_“He’s getting married,” Neville whispered in a broken voice. “He’s marrying her in two months’ time.” His voice cracked as Ianto ushered him into Malfoy Manor._

_Ianto knew without asking who had caused Neville such pain and he silently cursed Harry for hurting his first true friend so badly. He seated the shaking young wizard and took hold of his hands. “Neville, I can’t believe I am going to say this,” he paused until Neville looked up at him, “but maybe you should trust in Harry. If he truly wants to be with you then he will call off the wedding, if he doesn’t then he doesn’t deserve you and I will glad hex him for you.”_

_Neville let out a small laugh. "He won't be changing his mind, old friend; he's chosen Ginny and I want to be happy for them but all I can feel is my heart breaking."_

_Ianto grinned, baring his teeth in a feral grimace; “How do you think he’ll look as a toad on his wedding night?” He was rewarded for his efforts when Neville gave a small snort of laughter._

It had taken time but Neville had finally healed from his first major heart break and he knew now that he and Harry hadn't been meant to be. He was just glad that Draco, Harry, Hermione and Ron had managed to reach some kind of truce amongst themselves; they would never be close but they did have a steadily growing friendship. Still Neville knew there were times when Draco was lost in the memories of the life he’d left behind and he hoped that someday Draco could find some peace.

 

Humming to herself Luna smiled softly as she danced gracefully to music only she could hear; things were about to change for the better and she couldn't be happier.

 

******

Jack Harkness was miserable and he knew the reason for it, he was missing Ianto Jones as he had been for the past two years. He had gone with his Doctor just like he had planned for so many decades and as a result he had ended up the prisoner of a madman. The only saving grace he had during his long days of brutality and captivity was Martha Jones telling him about the handsome Welshman who had helped her sneak safely across the scorched face of the world thus ensuring that her mission was a success and the Master was defeated. His Ianto had protected Martha and Jack wanted him back.

 

“So are you finally going to stop moping around like a love-sick school girl and go after your mate?” A familiar voice drawled tauntingly from the doorway.

 

Jack didn’t bother lifting his head; he didn’t have the strength or the interest to argue with his former partner. “What do you want, John?” Jack asked, tiredness lacing his voice.

 

Moving into Jack’s office John Hart shook his head at the pathetic state his ex was in. “You’re sulking, we’ve all noticed and it’s really getting rather tiring,” John stated as he made himself comfortable on Jack’s couch, earning a half-hearted glare from Jack.

 

“What are you doing up here, John? Hiding out from Gwen again?” Jack asked wearily not lifting his eyes from the paperwork that he’d been staring out for over an hour but hadn’t touched. With a sigh, Jack tossed his pen on the desk and looked over at John; the air was full of sulking silence and he knew John had been right.

 

A lot of things had changed since Jack had gotten back from the year that never was. Even though it had only been a few months for them, his team had been struggling with just the three of them, so after John had unexpectedly arrived and helped them out, he’d ended up staying on, becoming a valuable member of the team. However, despite John’s good intentions, Jack should have known the former Time Agent would end up causing trouble and mischief.

 

While Jack had had some morals and hadn’t taken Gwen up on what she was constantly and so blatantly offering, John had no such problems and had eagerly fallen into bed with the Welshwoman. Jack had come back to find out that Rhys had ended it with Gwen when he learnt of the affair, although Gwen hadn’t really made any attempt to keep it from him. Jack didn’t know why he had felt so guilty for their relationship ending, although he told himself that maybe if he hadn’t brought Gwen into Torchwood then she might have never started anything with Owen and then John.

 

“So what was it this time that set Gwen off?” Jack reluctantly asked even though he wasn’t at all interested. For some reason these days Gwen had a hair-trigger temper and it didn’t take much to make her fly off the handle.

 

“She found out that Rhys has started dating again.” John explained, openly smirking as he recalled the look of impotent fury on Gwen’s face when she’d learned the news. He knew that she wanted him to be a good boyfriend and be sympathetic to her but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like he had told her to leave Rhys; in fact he had gone out of his way to make it clear that what they were was nothing but a good time. She certainly wasn’t his bond mate; that was the only reason John had stuck around this god-forsaken backwater time.

 

_‘It’s all that flighty blonde’s fault,’_ John thought with a scowl as he recalled his unexpected arrival in this time.

 

_John Hart glared at his vortex manipulator as he landed in 21 st century Earth; it was definitely not the place where he wanted to be. _

_“Not where you wanted to be but where you were meant to be.” A soft voice spoke up behind him._

_Slapping one hand to the hilt of his sword, John turned around and came face to face with a dreamy-looking blond woman. “Well hello pretty lady, are you where I am meant to be?” he asked leering openly at her._

_Blond locks flew everywhere as she shook her head no and laughed lightly. “I am not the one you want or will come to need but he is here waiting for you. You seek someone who looks past the mask you wear to see the man beneath the lies. You will find him here. You just need to look and then you must make the man made immortal by time’s gift seek out his own mate in order for you to find your own true happiness.”_

“Good for Rhys,” Jack nodded approvingly, he was happy to hear that Rhys had moved on. He just wished it was that easy for him to move on from Ianto Jones, he hadn’t realised it at the time but Ianto or Draco or whoever he was, was his mate.

It had been two years since Torchwood Three had seen Ianto Jones, and once their anger cooled towards the younger man, which was rather quickly, they’d realised just how badly they had treated Ianto, or whoever he might be really be. Tosh and surprisingly Owen had pushed Jack to try reaching out to find Ianto, the only problem was he had no idea where to start looking. _‘Come on universe, give me a sign, you owe me one,’_ Jack pleaded silently, waiting for answers that never seemed to come.

 

*****

Luna knew Neville and Ianto’s hearts well and it was no secret that they were both lonely. Watching their friends be happy with their someone special wasn’t easy, but she knew that things were going to be changing very soon; they would be finding their happiness soon.

 

*****

Ianto never did figure out how he allowed Luna to talk him into this but he was back to the muggle world; after two long, happy years in the wizarding world, he was going back.

 

Torchwood and UNIT, under orders from the Queen herself, had recently reached out to one another in an attempt to start building up negations within the wizarding community. After the Earth had been moved by the Daleks in their last-ditch effort to take over the Universe, cooperation between the muggles and wizards seemed to be a good idea. However, given to his widespread knowledge and in-depth understanding of the muggles, Ianto sensed that there was much more to this new cooperation than he knew. His suspicions were fuelled by the fact that he had been the one and only member of the wizarding world who’d been asked to help with these negations. Ianto’s first instinct had been to say ‘ _no, absolutely not, I’ve had enough experience with the muggles – well, certain muggles – to last a lifetime,’_ he wanted nothing more to do with them at first, until Luna, in her gentle, persuasive way, finally talked him into it.

 

_'At least I'm not alone in this.'_ Ianto was grateful for that one little thing as he caught Neville's steady, reassuring gaze. Ianto could understand why he had been asked to come but he wasn’t sure why Neville, along with Tonks, Severus, Fred, Sirius, Remus, Harry and Ron, had all been chosen to join him.

 

As he waited for the first meeting between the groups to begin, Ianto battled fiercely against the urge to pace the long hallway. He knew something was going on but he couldn’t think clearly, not with the knowledge that Captain Jack Harkness would be present at this meeting, as the Crown’s representative from Torchwood. It had been two years since he’d last seen Jack and not a day had gone by when he hadn’t thought about Jack or regretted not reaching out to him sooner. He missed Jack, far more than he should have; he missed the sound of Jack’s voice, the way he smelled, the touch of his hand – most of all he missed the man himself.

 

After straightening his tie, tugging on his waistcoat and shooting his cuffs, Ianto took a deep breath and steeled himself before opening the door to a part of his past he never expected to see again.

 

******

John Hart never thought he would see the day when Jack Harkness was nervous and over a man no less. This had been too priceless an opportunity to miss out on and so he’d happily agreed to come to what was no doubt to be a very entertaining and revealing meeting.

 

But Jack wasn't the only one nervous; Tosh had come along because it was just plain sensible to have someone present who could keep both Jack and John under control. Over the last two years the team had expanded to include Andy Davidson, Kathy Swanson and Martha Jones, but she was the best choice for the job. Plus Tosh had really come out of her shell turning into a true fire-breathing dragon when someone pissed her off, which John loudly admitted he found kinda hot.

 

Part of John would always regret that she wasn't his mate; they had had a brief but passionate relationship, but a lady like Toshiko Sato deserved to find someone who would love her fully.

 

The movement of the door opening caught John's attention and as the man they’d all been waiting for came into view, he watched a distinct change come over his ex; Jack sat a little straighter in his chair and he stopped fidgeting with his pen as he gazed firmly but hopefully at the young man entering the room.

 

The moment Ianto and Jack locked eyes the rest of the world and all those on it faded from sight. It was as if an invisible cord was pulling the two of them towards one another.

 

"Hello Jack, it's good to see you again." Ianto greeted Jack with a small shy smile. _‘God, he looks wonderful!’_

 

Something eased within Jack as he stared at Ianto's smile. "It's good to see you as well, Ianto, you're looking good." _‘I have missed you so much!’_

 

To Ianto's horror he felt his cheeks beginning to heat up under Jack’s penetrating gaze and it only grew worse as Jack grew closer to him. They were so intent on one another that neither of them noticed that they were the object of several curious glances and Tosh was finding it difficult to restrain herself from hugging Ianto. But Tosh knew better; as much as she wanted to talk to Ianto again she knew that Jack needed to reconnect with him first.

 

“We should probably give them a moment alone, Jo...” Tosh trailed off when she noticed that Hart’s eyes were locked on the quiet young man who’d entered the room second and was standing next to Ianto. “John?” she asked gently placing her hand on John’s arm.

 

John Hart could hear Tosh talking to him but her voice sounded as though it was coming from miles away and he could feel her tugging on his sleeve, but he paid her no mind. Nothing could tear his attention away from the man across from him; he felt a hunger unlike anything he’d ever experienced before uncurling in his chest. John was focused mind, body and soul on Ianto’s companion and all he knew was that he wanted… no, he _needed_ to have this man, now.

 

A feral snarl escaped his lips as he wrenched his arm free of Tosh’s hold and that sound was all the warning his future mate had before John pounced.

 

A startled squeak escaped Neville's lips as the devastatingly handsome man with the amazing cheek bones pounced on him, pulling him into the most passionate kiss that Neville Longbottom had ever enjoyed, one that had his toes curling and him seeing stars. His muffled yelp was enough to break the spell being woven over Jack and Ianto by their mutual and long-denied attraction.

 

Ianto's eyes went wide with alarm as he spotted Neville being kissed by a handsome man. "Get off him!" Ianto growled as he joined the others in trying to pull the stranger off of Neville.

 

Seeing Ianto’s protective attitude toward his companion Jack immediately felt jealousy bubbling up within him, it was a feeling he had only felt once before and he remembered it clear as day. It was the moment when he found out that Ianto had been hiding Lisa and he realised the desperate lengths the young archivist had gone to in order to save her, the woman he loved. Jack had been so surprised by the depths of the jealousy he felt whenever he thought about their relationship, about how much Ianto had cared for Lisa.

 

Jack realised that after hundreds of years of loving and leaving his revolving bedmates and part-time shags, he finally wanted that love and devotion for himself. Seeing Ianto being so protective over someone that wasn't him had Jack snarling with primitive rage.

 

"What the…?" Ianto found himself being yanked away from John and Neville and back against a strong body as firm arms wrapped around him. Tilting his head Ianto blinked in shock as he realised that his captor was a fuming and glowering Jack. "Jack!? What are you doing?"

 

"Mine!" Jack snarled loudly taking Ianto back for a moment as well as everyone else.

 

An anxious groan escaped Tosh's lips, she had been worried about something like this happening ever since John Hart had arrived and joined Torchwood. Over the course of several nights at the pub, she and Owen had learned a lot more about him and Jack, about their mutual backgrounds and more about Jack himself than the man had ever told them. After finding out that the once great sex machine had been celibate since Ianto had vanished, John had warned them that this might happen to Jack.

 

He had predicted that after two years of forcibly suppressing his natural mating bond, seeing Ianto behaving so fervently towards another man would no doubt bring out the primal animalistic side of Jack’s personality and now that she’d seen Jack’s caveman-like reaction it looked like that was exactly what was happening.

 

_'Oh great! This is just what we need!'_ Tosh’s sharp eyes didn't miss the way that the wizards were slowly reaching for their wands as they watched two of their being mauled by muggles. "Okay, John, Jack, you have to let Ianto and his friend go and back away slowly right now or you won't like what I do to the two of you later," Tosh hissed out in warning.

 

Severus found himself rather impressed with the way that the two overly aggressive men blanched as the petite Japanese woman’s words penetrated their lust-addled minds and they reluctantly released Ianto and Neville. It became apparent that he and Sirius had the same idea as they quickly tugged Ianto and Neville to safety behind them.

 

As the testosterone levels in the room began to subside, a deep sigh escaped Tosh's lips as she watched Jack and John start sulking. This wasn't the best way to start talks of working together what with two of her more horn-dog colleagues being unable to keep their hands to themselves. Crossing her arms over her chest she glared at them. "If you two can't keep your hands to yourself, I will tell Owen to take your place and send you back to deal with Gwen," Tosh threatened as her eyes flashed with fire.

 

Jack and John both winced in perfect unison; Gwen hadn't been too happy when she had been left behind, she had been quite vocal with her opinion that she should have been the one to come to these meetings. She still believed that she deserved to be Torchwood’s second-in-command, that her ‘heart’ qualified her to be Jack’s right-hand man, and her protestations continued even after Jack had formally named Tosh his second.

 

Jack chewed on his lower lip and shuffled his foot like a little boy who had just been scolded by his mother. "I'm sorry Tosh, I’ll behave."

 

Seeing Jack acting so contrite and childlike, Ianto unsuccessfully fought the urge to grin and a sweet smile curved the corners of his mouth upwards; it would seem a lot had changed since he left Torchwood. He didn't remember Tosh being so outgoing or bossy and he nodded with silent approval; it was a good look on her. Ianto also noticed that there was a look of brief but intense interest in his godfather's eyes; apparently he wasn't the only one to think that Toshiko’s new attitude was a good thing.

 

Foolishly debating with himself on whether or not to oppose the fiery tech genius, John tried not to flinch as Tosh's piercing gaze turned to him. "Well? I'm waiting," Tosh said with a raised eyebrow and a tap of her foot. Both she and John noticed that Jack quickly took a step away from John’s side, just in case.

 

There were a few muffled laughs coming from the wizard’s side but as John ignored them and shot a look at the young man he had kissed, he noticed the flush to his cheeks and he wanted to growl with pride. _‘I put that look on_ _my mate's face,’_ he silently crowed. _‘Me! And that’s from a single kiss; just wait til he gets the real deal!’_

 

Hart knew it was foolishly to go on ignoring Tosh; he was risking real punishment but he couldn't help it, he had to know his mate's name. "So gorgeous, what’s your name?" John asked in a low seductive purr.

 

Still flustered from the intensity of the kiss and the embarrassment of being kissed in front of a room full of people, Neville could only stare at the man like he had two heads. "My na…?” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat before continuing. “You want to know my name? Now? _After_ you kissed me? Shouldn't you have asked that before you thrust your tongue down my throat?" Suddenly feeling surer of himself, Neville felt his temper beginning to rise. He could not _believe_ the nerve of this man! However, despite his growing ire, and even as he tried to fight his own reaction to their kiss, the once shy wizard had to admit that nothing, not even Harry had ever stirred such intense need and decadent want in him.

 

_‘Gotcha!’_ John winked salaciously as he slowly dragged the tip of his tongue over his lips. “Well sometimes I just can't help myself,” he drawled out in a throaty voice. “Now come on, pretty boy, and give us a na... OW! Damn it, Toshiko!"

 

Neville couldn't help but smile and cringe in sympathy as John squealed in pain; Tosh had clearly had enough of the blatant behaviour and without warning she reached up and twisted John's ear in a painful pinch. The man may be an unashamed flirt but it was obvious that the woman had a firm control over him and Jack Harkness. Taking pity on his sexy assailant, the wizard spoke up. "My name is Neville and if you're a good boy for the rest of the meeting I may tell you more." Neville threw in a wink and then to the absolute amazement of everyone sauntered casually towards the table.

 

Oh yeah, John Hart was head-over-heels in love and after freeing himself from Tosh’s grip, he happily followed Neville to the table. John was completely smitten and incredibly curious about his teasing mate; he would do anything to learn more about the man he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

 

Ron Weasley wasn't the naïve young wizard he’d once been nor was he a fool; he could feel the thick tension pouring off of Harry. He knew that Harry and Neville had shared something, something powerful, but Harry had made a his choice and he had chosen Ginny. Stepping up beside his oldest friend, Ron brushed his ginger hair off his forehead as he thought about what he was going to say and then he decided that there was no way of glossing over what was obviously going to be painful to hear. "It's time to let him go, mate, and let Neville find his own happiness," Ron whispered bluntly in Harry's ear.

 

In his mind Harry knew his brother-in-law was right; he had no right to be jealous as well as no say in what or who Neville chose but that it didn't mean he had to like seeing Neville being pawed over like a piece of meat. "We can still threaten this John jerk with unspeakable things if he ever hurts Neville, right?" Harry whispered back, his mind already whirling with all sorts of embarrassing and painful punishments.

 

Ron’s smile was pure Weasley mischief, reminding Harry that he was indeed Fred and George's baby brother. "Of course we will, mate, you can count on it! We have to make sure he's good enough for our Neville, just like Jack is good enough for Ianto." It had taken some time but Ron had come to see the changes in his former enemy. The mean, devious and selfish boy Draco Malfoy had been in their youth was gone, lost to all the pain and suffering Ianto Jones had witnessed in his too short life.

 

Ron didn't want to see Ianto suffering anymore and everyone knew that for two years Jack had been a source of deep and abiding pain for the man; _‘Maybe_ _this meeting_ _do_ the poor guy _some_ _good_ **,’** Ron reflected. _‘I doubt it can do any harm.’_

 

Lost in his thoughts Ron was pulled back to the real world when his brother wandered over to him with a thoughtful and mischievous look was on Fred's face. He elbowed his younger sibling in the ribs and sniggered, "Is it just me or does old Snape look rather in awe of the small dragon?"

 

Harry and Ron shot surreptitious looks at their former potions master and Fred was correct, the normally severe-looking man did look in true wonder at the woman who appeared to have admirable control of two such obviously ill-mannered men. Confident in her ability to maintain the upper hand, Toshiko had taken a seat next to John, keeping a close eye on him. John on the other hand, only had eyes for Neville; oh yeah, that was going to have potential.

 

Ianto was moving towards the table flanked by Sirius and Severus who were keeping a close eye on him although they didn’t interfere when Jack reached out and snagged his arm. When they saw that Ianto didn’t mind, the two older men stepped off a few paces, and while they looked away, it was obvious that they were paying close attention to the interaction between Ianto and Jack.

 

"Ianto, I know you have no reason to ever want to see me again, but after this meeting is over do you think we can talk?" Jack asked looking rather shy and just a little unsure of himself.

 

For two years Ianto had both hoped for and dreaded the day he would find himself face-to-face with Jack again, and surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult has he’d thought it would be. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Ianto nodded his head. "I think that is a good idea and I'd like that."

 

The smile that Ianto received in return for his agreement was small, but truer and much brighter than any other that he had seen from Jack during his time at Torchwood Three and in his heart, Ianto knew that he had made the right choice.

 

******

As far as Jack was concerned, the meeting seemed to drag on forever, beneath the table his foot bounced up and down anxiously. Only a quick kick from Tosh and a glare out of the corner of her eye had him halting the irritating motion; he settled for fidgeting with his pen instead. He wanted this meeting over and done with as soon as possible; he really needed to talk to Ianto.

 

Jack had to fight down the whoop of unadulterated joy that burbled up from deep inside him and threatened to escape him as it was finally agreed that Torchwood, UNIT and the magical world would form joint taskforces. It was no longer a secret of any kind that as Earth got received more and more alien visitors it wouldn't be long before one of them – either friendly or hostile – discovered the wizarding world and there was no way of knowing how that first contact scenario would go.

 

This was the first UNIT-involved meeting that Jack had ever attended where the outcome brought him pleasure and pleasure it would be, because if he had it his way – and he probably… no, he _definitely_ would – be working _very_ closely with a young wizard named Ianto Jones.

 

Ianto’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he watched John flirt shamelessly with Neville; _‘If he hurts Neville, I will gladly hex John. Neville has had his heart broken too many times already; I won’t let John be his next heartbreak,’_ Ianto vowed, but he also knew that Neville had to live his own life, just like he had to. He caught Jack's steady gaze across the table and favoured him with a soft smile, and with a small thrill up and down his spine, he found himself anxious and hopeful as to what Jack wanted to talk to him about.

 

Seated across the wide wooden table from Jack, Severus glared daggers at the muggle who was showing far too much interest in his only godson and his eyes were filled with the promise of unending pain if he should ever hurt Ianto in any way.

 

Jack swallowed hard; glancing around the room he could see the promise of retribution in the eyes of all of Ianto's friends but rather than feel threatened by them, it made feel him warm inside to know that Ianto was so well loved by his friends. On the other hand, those looks also told him that he only had one chance to do things the right way or he might lose Ianto for good.

 

"Don't worry, Jack, I have a strong suspicion that John will have their undivided attention in a few moments, which should give you plenty of time to talk to Ianto," Tosh whispered softly in Jack's ear. It took a few seconds for Tosh’s words to penetrate the haze of Jack’s Ianto-centric dreams but then, a great deal of effort he tore his eyes off of Ianto and glanced at John only to see his ex staring hungrily at Neville. The image that sprang to Jack’s mind was that of a tiger ready to pounce.

 

Frustrated by how slowly time was passing, Jack waited impatiently until the meeting was officially over and then he spent a few moments watching as John began flirting up a storm with his young man. Finally focussing his attention solely on the object of his desire, he tilted his head and gave a nearly imperceptible nod towards the hallway. Barely able to breathe with anticipation, Jack watched as Ianto nodded in acknowledgement and then he pushed back his chair and climbed to his feet secure in the knowledge that Ianto would be following him.

 

******

Ianto followed three paces behind Jack as he led him to an empty room several doors down from the meeting room; he didn't know why he was so nervous about being alone with Jack but he had a pretty good idea it had to do with the last time they’d talked to one another.

 

Once the door was closed behind them, Jack turned to look at Ianto and for the first time since they’d met up again, he saw the man behind the mask. The first thing he noticed when he looked into Ianto's beautiful blue eyes was the lack of a hunted look he’d seen the last time they were together. Now the young wizard looked more at peace than he ever had at Torchwood and Jack felt his heart plummet with dismay. After all, given everything he’d gone through he doubted that Ianto would be as happy to see him as he was to see Ianto.

 

Despite having spent the entire meeting imagining how this reunion was going to go, Jack suddenly found himself at a loss for words and he frantically searched his mind for something to say. "Uh… How's Myfanwy?" He knew it was weak but it felt like a safe topic to start off on.

 

To Jack’s immense pleasure, Ianto's face lit up and his eyes glowed with loving pride just like they always did when he thought about his precious pet. "She's doing well, wonderful, in fact. My mother has really taken a shine to her and she's a hit with all the children, I think she's even more spoiled now than she was at the Hub. She’s also become quite enamoured with Hagrid and he with her; he’s got her very well trained, she plays fetch with him using giant stuffed sheep."

 

Jack frowned, “Who’s Hagrid?” He knew he was feeling jealous but he wasn’t sure if it was because Ianto spoke so fondly of this guy or if it was because someone else was playing with the ancient creature he thought belonged to him and Ianto.

 

Ianto smiled again. “He was the first person I met when I arrived at Hogwarts; he’s also an expert on the care and keeping of magical creatures and while Myfanwy’s not exactly magical, she’s still very special.”

 

_‘Hogwarts?’_ Now Jack had more questions than answers but he was determined not to be distracted from what he wanted to say. Drawing a deep breath, he plunged in headfirst. "I'm so sorry, Ianto, for how I treated you, how we _all_ treated you, it was wrong of us. There is no excuse for what I did but I can try to explain, if you’ll let me?” He looked hopefully at Ianto.

 

Struck by the sincerity of Jack’s words and by the earnestness he could hear in his voice, Ianto nodded his agreement and even offered him a brief smile of encouragement.

 

“Thank you, Ianto.” Jack let out a breath he wasn’t even aware that he was holding. “I was so full of bitterness towards Torchwood One and hate for Yvonne Hartman because they cost the life of someone I cared about very deeply. I later learned I was wrong about her death, thankfully; she was alive and safe and if she had seen my treatment of you she would have been horrified and worse, she’d have been ashamed of me.”

 

Ianto was mesmerised by the range of emotions that crossed Jack’s face as he spoke: rage and hate turned to sorrow and loss which quickly changed to pure joy and then true shame. In a flash of insight, he realised that he’d never seen Jack being so open and so truthful before. _‘It’s a good look on him,’_ Ianto thought approvingly.

 

Jack hadn’t noticed Ianto’s intense perusal; he was too intent on his… well, his confession as it were. “I’m really sorry, Ianto; it was wrong of me to transfer all that hate and animosity onto you. I never should have blamed the survivors either; they had no control over Yvonne or her insanity. Even after you told me you’d seen what they did at Canary Wharf and then asked me what you should do with those memories, I never once took into account your feelings or even acknowledged the miracle that you had survived the invasion.”

 

Jack looked up at Ianto and his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. “I let my callous behaviour towards you make the others think it was okay to treat you like you were nothing and I’m really sorry. It wasn't fair to you," Jack admitted in a soft voice. _“I_ was never fair to you.”

 

Despite how touched he was by Jack’s apology, long buried anger flared to life, making Ianto’s eyes blaze with blue fire. "You're damn right it wasn’t fair! You wouldn’t treat a Weevil the way you and the others treated me! Sure it's true I wanted to be invisible but it shouldn't have been that easy for me to fade into the woodwork, not if any of you truly cared about me. You have no idea what I was going through before I came to your world. The first truly good thing in my life, the first person to ever truly love me without hesitation, had been cruelly ripped away from me.”

 

A huge lump formed in Ianto’s throat, making speech difficult but he pressed on. “Then just when I’d started to be happy again, my world turned to ash the day the Cyberman came to our world. After Canary Wharf I nee… I needed...” Ianto couldn’t find the words to explain how he felt after surviving he battle between the Cybermen and he Daleks. He hated how broken he sounded and then he silently cursed himself as he felt hot tears falling down his cheeks.

 

Seeing how open and raw Ianto was Jack desperately wanted to wrap his arms around his former archivist, to tell him it was going to be okay, to make things better for him. He took a step forward but then stopped when Ianto started speaking again.

 

"Then I met you and everything I had ever felt for Cantelina or Lisa failed in comparison to what I was feeling for you and even though it felt wrong at the time, like I was betraying them both. You have no idea how I felt when Gwen arrived; it cut so deeply to be ignored and forgotten while at the same time being forced to watch as the new girl was welcomed with open arms. Gwen was instantly accepted and made part of the team while I was pushed even further away.” Ianto looked at Jack with eyes full of pain and sorrow. “Do you have any idea how much it hurt to be left behind whenever you lot went out? You never once asked me to join in on team outings, or invite me to the pub or even ask me to play bloody basketball! You lot made me feel like I was less than nothing, not worth the breath it would take to invite me along and yet I still cared about you.” Ianto cursed himself as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. “More the fool I was." His last words came out in a whisper of self-condemnation.

 

Jack hated the sight of Ianto's tears; each one felt like a bullet straight to his heart. "No, Ianto, if anyone was the fool it was me. I’m the one to blame for it all because I didn't want to see what was right before my eyes. I’m ashamed to say that it scared me how deeply I was coming to care for you; I knew that if I finally opened up my heart and let you in I would give up waiting for the Doctor. Oh Ianto, I’ve been waiting so long for him to come back, waiting for my questions to be answered that it terrified me when I realised that I would gladly give it all up if you asked me to.”

 

Shocked by those last few words, Ianto’s gaze snapped up to meet Jack’s eyes and the pure truth he saw in them took his breath away.

 

“I deliberately put distance between us because I am a coward in the matters of love; since I've become immortal I've only loved truly and deeply a few times, but no matter how much of myself I poured into the relationships they never ended well.” Jack shrugged self-consciously. “I was scared because I couldn’t keep up the pretense with you; I wouldn't have to hide the real me from you. I was terrified that once you really understood who I am and what I’ve done that you’d end up hating me and I wouldn’t survive losing you like that. _That_ was why I flirted with Gwen so heavily, not because she was special or because she meant anything to me but because she was handy. She was the distraction that I needed and the excuse I used to let you know that I am no good for you."

 

An unexpected and quite unpleasant thought took hold of Ianto’s mind and try as he might, he couldn’t stop himself from asking, so he took a shuddering breath and said, "Did it ever go beyond flirting with you two? Did you ever…" He waved his hand shakily in the air. “…you know…?” The instant the words were out of his mouth, Ianto realised that he didn’t want to know because if the answer was yes it would break his heart. He wasn't sure why he asked but he simply had to know, he had to know that Jack never crossed that invisible line and accepted what Gwen had been so freely and blatantly offering.

 

For the first time ever Jack actually felt a sense of pride in his self-imposed celibacy and he vehemently shook his head. "NO! No, never. I was screwed up and a mess when you left and then, when I went with my Doctor, things happened to me, horrible things that forced me to realise what was truly important in my life. During that year I had nothing to do but think and reflect and you were the person I thought about the most.”

 

Ianto wanted to ask questions, he needed to know more about the horrible things that Jack had endured for what, an entire year? Who would have done such a thing and why? He yearned to take Jack in his arms and hold him, to push the bad things away but before he could move, Jack began talking again.

 

“I realised that of all the things I’ve done in my long life, one of my biggest regrets is the way I mishandled everything that went down between us and the terrible, thoughtless way I treated you. In fact, for the last two years, ever since the day you left me, I've thought of nothing but how to make things up to you. _Can_ I make things up to you, Ianto?" Jack asked with true vulnerability in his quiet tone.

 

"I think we both screwed up, Jack; I know I have regretted how things played out two years ago.” Ianto offered Jack a shy smile. “Maybe this could be a fresh start for us? You know, maybe we could get to know each other all over again."

 

Feeling a song of joy rising in his heart, Jack moved forward the few steps it took so that he was standing right in front of Ianto. "I'd like that a lot, Yan." He couldn't resist reaching out and slowly stroking Ianto's lower lip with his thumb, his touch incredibly tender.

 

An erotic shiver raced down Ianto’s spine and his eyes fell shut as he felt Jack’s touch for the first time in two long years. Although he wanted the moment to go on forever, Ianto forced himself to look at Jack and when he opened his eyes he discovered the immortal’s blue eyes devouring him and Ianto in turn found himself spellbound by those eyes.

 

“Ianto, I’m going to kiss you now,” Jack warned his voice a throaty growl rich with lust.

 

“Okay and I am going to let you.” Ianto’s own voice was husky with his own hunger.

 

The moment Ianto felt Jack’s chest touch his he shared in rumble from the purr Jack released as the older man pulled their bodies closer. Their eyes never broke contact as Jack’s arm wrapped around Ianto’s waist, his hand resting just above the curve of Ianto’s arse.

 

Ianto could feel Jack’s hot breath ghosting across his lips before Jack claimed Ianto’s lips in a kiss made of pure passion, need, lust and even a hint of love.

 

The moment Jack’s lips touched his, Ianto was lost in a sea of passion. No one had _ever_ kissed him like this before and Ianto could only cling tightly to Jack as the captain was the only thing keeping him afloat.

 

Jack knew the very moment Ianto willingly submitted to him and a low growl of possessiveness escaped into their kiss. For too long Jack had waited for this moment, the singular and precious moment in time when Ianto Jones would become his and his alone, forever. _‘By the time I’m finished with Ianto, everyone, including Ianto himself, will know that Ianto Jones is mine.’_ Jack had never been this possessive over any lover in his long history of sexual conquests but then again Ianto had always been different from any of them, human or alien. Jack knew that he had been foolish in the past, pushing his bond mate away but no more, tonight he was going to claim what was his.

 

******

After finally finding his beloved again and after sharing their soul-searing kiss it hadn't been easy for Jack to say good-bye to Ianto but he was able to let him go, secure in the knowledge that he and Ianto had a date tomorrow. The journey back to the Hub passed in a blur of ignored images outside his window; it was a good thing Tosh had insisted on driving or he’d have crashed the SUV for sure. The entire trip passed in silence – Toshiko instinctively understood that her boss needed to process the life-changing event he had just experienced and John was too busy thinking about Neville and planning their life together.

 

As for Jack, he felt like he was floating on clouds as he re-lived his kiss with Ianto over and over again, although for a brief moment he did grimace good-naturedly at his rather girlie thoughts. If he were being honest with himself he never thought he’d have a second chance to make things right with Ianto but now that the Universe had smiled on him and given him his heart’s desire, he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. He was going to make sure that his first date with Ianto was the most romantic that his beloved young wizard had ever enjoyed.

 

Even before they stepped off the invisible lift Jack found himself bombarded with questions from the other team members, with Gwen’s voice the most strident and demanding of all. She knew that Ianto was most likely going to be at the conference and she’d been stressing over Jack’s seeing him again all day. Jack was extremely grateful when Tosh made sure the others left him alone. Although she promised to fill them all in on what had happened over drinks, he knew it hadn't been easy for Tosh to drag Gwen away from the Hub.

 

Knowing that he owed his tech genius big-time, Jack was finally able to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of his hub; he simply wasn't in the mood to deal with Gwen’s irrational jealousy. Flopping down on the battered couch, Jack put his feet up on the table and sighed. The only thing that would have made the moment any more perfect would have been a cup of Ianto’s incredible coffee. He could still remember how delicious each and every cup had been.

 

"You look happy," John commented as he joined his old friend on the sofa, plunking a bottle of hyper vodka and two glasses down on the table. He couldn’t understand how Jack had managed to survive being away from Ianto for two years. His heart felt like it was being ripped out of his chest the longer he was way from Neville. It had taken all of his charm but just before they left John had gotten the younger man to agree to a date. Although he didn’t realise it, he and Jack were both thinking the same thing: they were going to prove to their young men that they were worthy.

 

Jack smiled lazily at his ex. "I am. Nobody has ever made me feel the way Ianto does and this time I'm not messing it up." Jack was determined to make things work with his bond mate and if the looks John had been giving Neville were anything to go by, he wasn't the only one. Remembering the long string of broken hearts that John had left across the universe, Jack couldn’t help but say, “You know they’ll all be after your blood if you are just playing with Neville.” He kept his tone causal but the significance of his words wasn’t lost on John.

 

Surprisingly, John didn’t take offence to Jack’s warning. He was the vision of sincerity as he looked his former partner in the eye and said, “Who says I am playing with Neville? There’s something about him, something I’ve been looking for all my life, you know? He’s the part of me that has always been missing, and now that I’ve found him, he completes me, like Ianto does for you.” John felt a little shy as he admitted his love for Neville to his ex. "He's my bond mate and I would never hurt him."

 

For the first time in the many years that Jack had known the man there was something different about the way he spoke of Neville. Normally John Hart was snarky, smarmy and frequently disgustingly explicit when he talked about a future sexual conquest. But this time Jack saw something quite special when he looked into John’s eyes; he saw the truth there, he saw a look that he had no doubt could be in his eyes whenever he talked, thought of or looked at Ianto. “I’m happy for you, John, I really am; just make sure you treat him right.”

 

John grinned. "The same could be said for you and Ianto. I'm not the only one on his second chance here, mate; something tells me that if you mess this up those magic freaks will happily show you the more painful side of magic," John pointed out.

 

Jack had no doubts that his friend was right. "Well they aren't going to get the chance because I'm not messing this up, not this time," he answered vehemently.

 

"Well how about I promise you that if you do screw everything up, _again_ , I’ll happily shoot you if you look like you’re gonna do anything idiotic and threatening to yours and Ianto's relationship," John cheerfully promised. “You know I’m a good shot.”

 

Jack snorted because he knew that John would do just that. "And you should know that I’ll give you the same treatment," he promised as he wiped tears of laughter from his face.

 

John just shrugged his shoulders; he wouldn’t expect anything less from Captain Jack Harkness. "You do realise that this plan won’t work if Tosh gets to us first, right? For a little woman she is downright scary and I'm all onboard with the matchmaking scheme being put into place."

 

Jack grinned happily; he was sure that Toshiko Sato was going to be more than a match for the sour Severus Snape and he couldn't wait to see how everything all played out. He firmly believed that Tosh truly deserved to find the same happiness he was hoping to find with Ianto.

 

"Here's to our future and the hopes that we don't screw this up," Jack refilled their glasses from the bottle of hyper vodka that John had smuggled in and then lifted his in the air.

 

"I'll drink to that," John clinked his glass against Jack's and then downed its contents in a single gulp. Both men sent silent prayers out to the universe that someone or something would bless them with success. This was a new start, one that neither man was willing to mess up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**   


_Two years later_

 

Ianto could hardly believe that it had been two years since he and Myfanwy had returned to Torchwood Three, only this time things were vastly different from before. This time he wasn't relegated to the outer edges of the group; he had become a very welcome addition to and an integral part of the team. He wasn’t naïve though; he knew that part of his acceptance by the others was because of his and Jack's relationship.

 

Several weeks after the muggle/wizard conference and after spending every possible moment with Ianto, the immortal had summoned Tosh, Owen, John and Gwen to the boardroom where fresh pastries and mugs of Ianto’s premium blend coffee awaited them. He had then taken great joy in announcing his and Ianto’s relationship to the others. He hadn’t taken any pains to hide the fact that he was seeing his returned archivist and that the young wizard made him very, very happy.

 

While Jack still flirted with the occasion waitress or constable or alien, it was obvious that there was no real interest in them; flirting was simply part of his natural makeup. No, he made it perfectly clear to everyone and especially crystal clear to Gwen, that he was deliriously happy with Ianto.

 

Ianto had been more than a little surprised to learn that Jack had a rather possessive side hidden away behind the smiles and winks and that he was very jealous when it came to him. He definitely did not like the idea of Ianto flirting even mildly with other people and on the rare occasion it did happen, Jack could become quite primitive – caveman-like one might say – when someone dared to even _look_ at Ianto with interest.

 

In the beginning it hadn't been easy getting everyone to work together, Gwen in particular had been very vocal in protesting against having Ianto anywhere near the Hub, much less being a part of the team again. Even after Jack had told her that she was welcome to ask for Retcon and a return to the ranks of Cardiff’s constabulary. She’d shut up after that but her passive-aggressive behaviour towards Ianto reared its ugly head from time to time.

 

Other than Gwen, there were still a few minor problems and kinks along the way but with time and a little patience they eventually worked themselves out. There were some big changes going on within Torchwood as well; it wasn't just his and Jack's relationship that had made waves in Torchwood. There were other couples forming and there was an overall sense of happiness and contentment that hadn't been there before.

 

To start with, John and Neville were still going strong; in fact John had Jack beat by a country mile in the possessiveness category and that was mainly because Neville was currently heavily and happily pregnant with their first child. As for the proud father, John still hadn't stopped preening like a peacock at every opportunity and the fact that he absolutely loved his partner was proven by the fact he was still grinning, even when Neville's hormones got the better of him and the wizard demanded peanut butter and snurgelwurst omelettes at three o’clock in the morning. Altough snurgelwurst was only available from one particular shop on Diagon Alley didn’t prevent John from making his lover a happy man.

 

A month after meeting the Torchwood crew, Ron Weasley had asked for a cross-cultural assignment with Torchwood and those who knew him well, his family and close friends, knew it was mainly due in part to the recent news that George and Hermione had started a family. Ron had had a crush on Hermione from their first year at Hogwarts and it hadn't been easy for him watching his own brother and his then girlfriend falling in love. Their romance had caused some bad feelings between Ron and George but eventually the entire Weasley clan had intervened and the brothers had called a truce.

 

There was a bright side to the situation though, leaving the wizarding world had actually done Ron a world of good, as the change had meant he’d met Jenny. The adventurous blond woman had been a welcome surprise; she and Ron had connected right away when he joined the team on his first field mission. On arrival in a farmer’s sheep field they found her pacing angrily outside her destroyed space ship, yelling at it for falling through the Rift. It turned out she was the Doctor's daughter and just like her father she had an innate knack for finding trouble, which helped because she and Ron were a surprisingly good match for one another.

 

Another match which had surprised everyone when it went public had been the one between Tonks and Owen. Knowing that the man had lost the two great loves of his life, Katie and Diane, Ianto never thought that Owen would settle down but from the moment Tonks turned Owen down when he’d flirted with her the firs time, he had been hooked. Whether she’d intended it or not, Owen’s infatuation with her turned out to be a good thing because in order to prove himself worthy of her, Owen had toned down his drinking and sleeping around. Tonks had truly done him a world of good and the unlikely couple seemed quite happy in their banter-filled relationship.

 

A not-so-surprising meeting of the hearts came in the form of Severus and Tosh's relationship and it pleased Ianto greatly. He could not recall the last time his godfather had looked so happy, it was obvious that Tosh suited him as he did her. Neither would let the other get too lost in their work, always there to pull the other one back when it looked like they were going to be consumed by their latest project. As unlikely at it seemed, they fit together perfectly and nobody would be surprise if there was a wedding in their future; Tosh was already talking children and Severus would be a fool to turn down his best chance at a family.

 

Without George as his willing accomplice in mischief and mayhem, Fred had found himself at loose ends, so he decided to make a bit of a nuisance of himself in Cardiff. He claimed that he was only hanging around the Hub to play matchmaker for the ‘helpless couples’ as he called them, but if hadn't taken long for his friends to realise that there was actually another more personal reason for him being around. One morning, on her way back to the Hub from making a quick trip to the local bakery, a rather amused Tosh caught him and Andy snogging behind the beaded curtain in the Tourist Office. Red-faced with embarrassment, Fred and Andy had accused Severus of turning her evil when Tosh had given Fred a taste of his own medicine by mischievously turning the wallpaper on all the computers in the Hub to a continuous loop of the CCTV footage of the kiss. Tosh happily pointed out that she had always been a little bit evil, she was just cleverer than most and hid it well.

 

The arrival of Donna Noble had been a distinct shock. She had shown up one day, ranting and raving, yelling at Jack at the top of her lungs. It would seem that when the Doctor wiped her psyche of the Doctor Donna persona, he hadn’t done a thorough job. Memories of her time with the Time Lord had come crashing back into her mind, although she had no idea what the trigger for her remembering might have been.

 

The moment Ianto met her grandfather, the gregarious and cantankerous Wilfred Mott, it became clear why the mind wipe had failed. It turned out that Donna was from an ancient line of powerful magic, coming from Wilf’s side of the family. Martha had been overjoyed to see the feisty redhead again; there were so few people she could talk with about her adventures onboard the TARDIS. Besides, Ianto had a sneaking suspicion that she was really looking forward to eavesdropping on the talk Donna had planned for the Doctor. Most importantly however, Donna wanted Ianto and the others to introduce her to some hot single wizards.

 

Not only had they gained Donna – and occasionally even Wilf – as an active member of the Torchwood family, but they also added Tish Jones, Martha's younger sister. With Ianto now a full-time field officer and part-time archivist, she had happily taken over running the Tourist Information Office and her steady, calming presence brought a big change into the life of Rhys Williams.

 

For so long the big, soft-hearted Welshman had refused to get back into the dating game after the dismal failure of his and Gwen's relationship. After Jack’s rejection of her advances and Owen refusing to pick up where they left off, she had begun sleeping around several times a week, usually random pick-ups from the pubs. When word had gotten back to Rhys via the local rugby club gossip chain, he’d thrown all her belonging out on the curb and changed the locks on the doors. Try as he might to ignore her, Rhys finally realised that Tish was like a breath of fresh air in his life and in no time at all they were a couple. It was the hands-down consensus of everyone with Torchwood that Rhys looked far happier with Tish than anyone could ever remember seeing him with Gwen.

 

Despite Jack’s invitation to join his team, Kathy Swanson had decided to stay on as police liaison between not only Torchwood but also the magical world and in the process, she had gained an admirer in Oliver Wood. The young man was nothing if not totally determined in his wooing of her and everyone wished her the best of luck.

 

Not everyone had been able to fit in within the new Torchwood. Gwen had never gotten over her rejection by Jack and the sight of him being so happily involved with Ianto plus seeing that Rhys had moved on had been too much for her. After spewing a venomous tirade condemning Tosh, Owen and most especially Ianto, she had stormed out of the Hub, but not until after clearing off the top of her desk in one fell swoop, sending everything, including her computer crashing to the floor.

 

Ianto couldn't say he was sad to see her go; when he’d returned after two years away, Gwen still hadn't changed her treatment of him, if anything her complete disdain, even hatred for him had intensified. She had gone out of her way to make it abundantly clear that she felt he was so far below him and that he should be locked away in the cell next to Janet and only allowed out when he could be used as a weapon for Torchwood.

 

Her nasty attitude left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and they all knew that they would count themselves lucky if they never saw her again. Unfortunately, because she had proven resistant to Retcon Jack had been left with little choice but to see if anyone else would take her. He and Ianto had discussed the matter at length and the conclusion had been that she would never survive in UNIT so it had taken much begging and bribing from Jack to get Archie to agree to take her on. Gwen had not been at all happy to be sent so far away and twenty-one months later, she still refused to talk to Jack under any circumstances.

 

But life moved on within Torchwood as it was wont to do, leaving many happy, contented people. As he waited for the coffee machine to finish brewing the team’s latest round of deliciousness, Ianto's hand subconsciously began to tenderly caress his still-flat belly. He was living proof that time heals all wounds. Just ten minutes ago he had confirmed with Martha what he’d been sure of for a week: he was pregnant with Jack's child and he could not wait to tell his mate the wonderful news.

 

After experiencing so much pain and tragedy in his young life Ianto was delighted that he’d finally found the happiness he’d wanted for so long and Ianto was going to grasp it with both hands and hold on for dear life.

 

The End


End file.
